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MOCCASIN TRACKS 
and OTHER IMPRINTS 



BY 

WILLIAM CHRISTIAN pODRILL 

("RATTLESNAKE BILL") 



\/y3 7VL 



Copyright by 

W. C. DODRILL 

1915. 



LOVETT PRT>T'''ING CO., 
CHAr.l^ESTON. 



1 16^ 



AUG 16 1915 

©CI.A4H193 




William Christian Dodrill 



To the memory of my dear mother, Rebecca (Ham- 
rickj Dodrill, to whom, I oiue so much, this volume is 
affectionately dedicated. 

By the Author. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



Biographical Sketch 8 

Introduction 13 

Moccasin Tracks 15 

English Settlements in America 17 

The Indians of West Virginia 35 

Exploration and Settlement of West Virginia 43 

Geography and Topography of Webster County- __ 55 

Miscellaneous Sketches 61 

The Hamrick Family 73 

An Imaginary Trip in 1849 77 

Superstitions of Pioneer Days 80 

Short Sketches 84 

Formation and Organization of Webster County __ 87 

Education 105 

The Carpenter Family 119 

Murder of the Stroud Family 123 

Religion in Pioneer Days 125 

The Dodrill Family 130 

The Killing of the Tunings 134 

The Murder of Ferrell 135 

The Lone Grave 136 

The Gregory Family 137 

Geographical Names 140 

The Woods Family 142 

The Sawyers Family 143 

The McElwain Family 145 

The Morton Family 148 

Tracklets 151 



Table of Contents (Continued). 

Other Imprints 157 

The True Grandeur of Nations 159 

Echoes 165 

The Cemetery 170 

Chronicles of an Oak 17.3 

Number One ' 175 

Number TVo 181 

Number Three 188 

Influence of the Christian Religion on Civilization 194 

Governm^ent 199 

Birds and Flowers 205 

The Stork^s Visit 212 

Semi-Centennial of West Virginia 213 

Business and Civit Honesty 219 

An Oration Delivered at Eichwood, July 4, 1909__ 230 

School Eoom Smiles ^^___ 238 

Halley's Comet — A Burlesque 242 

The Bachelor 247 

From the Williams to Lake Erie 253 

Winter Bird Friends 260 

The Eagle 281 

The Crisis of 1861 286 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. 

William Christian Dodrill, the author, was born on 
Birch river in Nicholas county, Virginia, (now West 
Virginia), September seventh, 1861. He is the third 
son of James Walton and Rebecca H^amrick Dodrill. 
At a time when a new state had recently been brought 
into being through the heroic surgery of war, he was 
receiving his first impressions amid surroundings that 
were necessarily forceful in directing the bent of his 
mind and shaping his future career. 

Nichola^s county, then larger than now% lay among the 
western spurs of the Alleghanies, where crude condi- 
tions of commerce and travel had sadly retarded social 
and intellectual intercourse among the people, but the 
region claimed unusual advantages in the beauty and 
majesty of its mountain scenery and the clean lives 
and high ideals of its inhabitants. War had scarcely 
disturbed these conditions, although it left not a few 
of its scars in close proximity to the author^s boyhood 
home. The forests were virgin, full of game and res- 
onant with the music of a large and varied bird life. 
The rivers and creeks held in great abundance the 
varieties of fish common to the middle temperate zone. 
Then, much more than now, the youth were in very 
truth, "children of the outdoors," living in all seasons 
very near to the heart of Nature. 

Amid surroundings such as these, the boyhood of 
William Dodrill was spent, working on the farm as 
occasion demanded, but when opportunity afforded, 
wandering along the rivers or through the woods, learn- 
ino^ those nature-lessons, for which one mav read all 



AND Other Imprints. 9 

books in vain, and because of which he acquired the 
ability so valuable to him as a teacher and writer in 
the after years of his life. Nor did he neglect to read 
with avidity and understanding the few books at his 
command; and it may be possible that a few good 
books, read over and over again, thoroughly assimilated 
through long hours of study and contemplation, may 
be more valuable than hundreds lightly scanned and 
more lightly thrown away. 

The author remained at the home of his father and 
mother until he reached the age of twenty-one, and 
during that time, so meager were the educational ad- 
vantages in his community, he was enabled to attend 
school less than four months in each year. How well 
he overcame this serious and to eo many, disastrous, 
obstacle, may be judged from the fact that from the 
time he began teaching in 1882 at the age of twenty- 
one, until the present, his success was immediate and 
so marked that his services were soon in wide demand 
in central West Virginia. 

Mr. Dodrill taught in his native county of Nicholas 
until 1895, and since that date he has resided in Web- 
ster county, where he is acknowledged by common con- 
sent to be the leader of his profession. He was prin- 
cipal of the Camden public schools in 1910 and 1911: 
principal of the Webster Springs graded school for 
three terms, 1912, 1913 and 1914, and a teacher in 
the Normal department of the Webster Springs high 
school for the spring term of 1915. He has taught 
also, and made a specialty of training schools for 
teachers. In 1908 he became a member of the Amer- 
ican Historical Association and in 1910 he joined the 



10 Moccasin Tracks 

Knights of Pvtiiias and is a loyal member of Camden 
Lodge No. 137. 

While the author justly enjoys this high reputation 
as a teacher and instructor and has kept in the van- 
guard of the progressive men and women of his profes- 
sion^ he has rendered services to the people of Nicholas, 
Webster and the surrounding counties, indeed to the 
whole state, quite as enduring and permanent, in our 
judgment, as his valuable work in his chosen profession. 
Not only has he kept up the study of Nature as an 
adjunct to his work, but he has pursued that study 
with such zeal and success that he is everywhere recog- 
nized as a commanding authority on West A^irginia 
animals, fish and bird life. His knowledge of the fish 
thait. inhabit W^est Virginia waters is not cursory or 
superficial but final and authoritative, acquired through 
years of study and contact. He is an expert angler; 
no one in the writer's knowledge will excel him. Be- 
cause of these facts we confidently assert that no West 
Virginian is more competent as a writer and critic 
upon these and kindred subjects. 

The pioneer history of .the mountain counties of 
West Virginia has been neglected to such an extent that 
it seriously interferes with the preparation of an orderly 
and sequential history of the state. The citizens of the 
elder counties, reclaimed from the Indians along the 
wide valleys of the great rivers and on the contiguous 
uplands, do not appreciate the dangers and well-nigh 
insurmountable difficulties that confronted those hardy 
fathers who builded homes in the narrow and canyon 
like valleys of the Elk, Holly and Birch rivers, and on 
the precipitous mountain sides surrounding them. In 



AND Other Imprints. 11 

the ceaseless struggle for existence it was impossible to 
preserve history while it was current and many of the 
stirring traditions of the early days, if not wholly lost, 
have been very imperfectly preserved by the only means 
possible, the relation of the story by the pioneer to his 
immediate descendants. 

In the resurrection and preservation of this early 
history of Webster county and these splendid traditions, 
Mr. Dodrill has spent much of his time during many 
years. His close contact with the people as teacher of 
the various schools has enabled him to acquire at first 
hand from the older citizens, many of whom have since 
passed away, much valuable information which should 
be, and, thanks to his energy and perseverance will be, 
made accessible by his book to every student of the his- 
tory of his native state. The value of his work in this 
direction lies in the fact that soon, very soon, all the 
sources from which this history can be gleaned will be 
gone. No other West Virginian possesses it at first 
hand. For several years past he has been writing articles 
for the press that have attracted wide attention, in 
v\^hich he depicts the struggle of the early settlers and 
traces the gradual development of this difficult terri- 
tory. 

The large families that are descended from the 
pioneers and are now widely scattered over the Union, 
with interests diversified and numerous, have gratefully 
paid him tribute for renewing the recollections of these 
heroic men and women. One of the chief criticisms 
directed by Europeans against America is the fact that 
we have no traditions ; that time, only, can create mighty 
memories; be it so; but we can meet that criticism 



12 Moccasin Tracks 

and multiply those mighty memories by appreciating 
men like William Dodrill who give years of pains- 
taking effort and patient study to the end that none 
of our traditions may be lost. 

"Moccasin Tracks and Other Imprints/' reflects the 
versatility and personality of its author. Mr. Dodrill 
is a facile and brilliant writer, an eloquent and force- 
ful public speaker. His powers of description can 
hardly be excelled, while as a narrator of events he 
commands the willing attention of his reader as he con- 
ducts him through the orderly, logical succession of 
events. 

He is a controversialist of superior type, nor does he, 
in his writings, make the always fatal mistake of trans- 
forming learning into pedantry. He is a master of 
that directness of Anglo-Saxon speech which one may 
acquire only after long and diversified study of our 
language. 

We bespeak for this book a gracious reception, not 
only by the people of West Virginia, interested as they 
are in the traditions of our beloved Commonwealth and 
the minutest details of its splendid history, but by the 
people everywhere who want to know and to treasure 
all that may be known of the history and. the tradi- 
tions of the Republic. 

W. S'. Wysong. 



INTRODUCTORY. 

Many school boys and school girls decide to write a 
book when they become men and women. I was not 
accustomed to building literary air castles in Spain 
during my school days. My teachers did not require 
me to write on any subject. Neither did they require 
or encourage original thought. Lessons were assigned 
on certain pages of the text, and the pupil who could 
recite in the language of the book was commended for 
proficiency. These two facts indicate the deplorable 
condition of the free schools thirty-five years ago. 

The material of which this volume is composed has 
been of slow growth. A number of the sketches were 
published in the local papers a few years ago under the" 
pen name of "Eattlesnake Bill." These waifs have been 
revised or entirely rewritten. They have been living 
precarious lives in newspaper files, scrap books, and 
other out of the way places. * It was thought by the 
author that these almost nameless, and unowned chil- 
dren of his brain, were entitled to more congenial sur- 
roundings, and if properly dressed they could appear in 
more genteel company. 

I have been impressed for years with the fact that the 
young people of Webster, Nicholas, Braxton and other 
nearby counties know so little of the history of their 
immediate ancestors. Boys and girls of sixteen do not 
know the names of their great-grandfathers or great- 
grandmothers. If this information be delayed much 
longer, it will be too late to start an inquiry. "Moccasin 
Tracks" was begun to arouse an interest in pioneer 
history before all the sources of information have been 



14 Moccasin Tracks 

closed. No attempt has been made to give a consistent, 
connected narration of the pioneer history of Webster 
county. Material available at this time is too meager 
or too chaotic for such an undertaking. 

Some of the "Other Imprints" contained in this 
volume have been written in connection with my school 
work or to amuse a friend in an idle moment. Others 
are public addresses delivered at divers places and under 
various circumstanees. Many were written expressly 
for this volume and are here published for the first time, 
The author places this volume before the public with 
some misgivings as to the manner of its reception, but 
he hopes that it will be received in the spirit in which 
it is given. It is offered as a. small contribution to the 
great stream of literature flowing from the pen of 
American writers, by an author who has neither fame 
nor literary merit to commend his work to the public. 

W. C. DODRILL. 

Webster Springs, West Virginia. 
June 15, 1915. 



Moccasin Trackj 



I. ENGLISH SETTLEMENTS IN AMERICA. 

In order to get a correct understanding of the early 
history of Webster county, it is necessary to take a 
hasty view of the first English settlement in Xorth 
America as to time and place. Webster, because of its 
geographical position and its isolation from navigable 
rivers, was one of the last West Virginia counties to be 
occupied by white men. It will also be necessary to 
take a more extended notice of the first settlements in 
the state which occurred many years previous to the 
occupation of the Elk and the Gauley valleys. 

Transportation of necessity was made by pack horses 
over rough mountain trails, and this not being a very 
desirable mode of travel, greatly retarded the settle- 
ment of localities remote from more populous com- 
munities. 

The real settlement of Webster county did not begin 
until after the close of the Eevolution, although the 
territory had been repeatedly visited and some cabins 
had been built previous to that time. 

Virginia. 

In 1606 James I, King of Great Britain, granted a 
patent for territory in America to a corporation of men 
known as the London Company, whose main object was 
to establish an English colony somewhere between the 
thirty-fourth and forty-fifth degrees of north latitude. 
The company sent out a colony consisting of 105 ad- 
venturous gentlemen in three small vessels which em- 
barked from London, in December, 1606. After a 



18 Moccasin Tkacks 

most tempestuous and dangerous voyage, tliey entered 1 
Chesapeake Bay and after some delay sailed up a. dis- 
tance of fifty miles. Here they landed on May 13, 
1607, and began a settlement which they called James- 
town in honor of the English sovereign. The site 
chosen was low and marshy: it was infested with 
mosquitoes and nuilaria ; it was not easy for the settlers 
to defend tlieniselves against the Indians, who attacked 
them within two weeks after their arrival. This border 
warfare begun, in i()OT, between the Mrginians and 
the Indians, lasted for one hundred and eighty-eight 
years. The early history of Virginia was a history of 
famine, disease, desperation and death; of 630 early 
colonists 570 died within the first two and a half years. 
In later years two terrible Indian massacres occurred, 
one in 1622 and the other in 1644, in which more than 
live hundred persons were slain. These English peo- 
ple had left their home and friends, and had braved 
the dangers of a long sea voyage to face an unknown 
fate in the wilderness that they might establish homes 
for themselves and erect a state on the continent of 
North America. This is the oldest English colony es- 
tablished within the present limits of the United States, 
although for some time it seemed as if it would prove 
a failure like the one begun in the state of Maine in 
May, 1607. The colony was saved through the untiring 
efforts of Captain John Smith, who procured corn from 
tlie Indians, and taught the colonists the necessity of 
]al)or. 

These peo|)le made the mistake that is ever the case 
in all ])ioneer settlements: they thought that sudden 
wealtli conh! bi' obtained from mineral product^, and 



AND Other Imprints. 19 

they neglected their gardens and their farms — the only 
things they could rely upon for their support^ for the 
alluring hope, of finding gold. In a few years many 
desirable families came to Virginia. The forest was 
cleared by them and they gTadually pushed tlieir way 
to the foot of the Blue Ridge. 

A very notable event occurred in 1619. This was the 
election of twenty-two "burgesses," who met in the 
church at Jamestown and framed laws to govern the 
colony. This vras the first free, representative govern- 
ment in America, and was far-reaching in its effect 
upon the establishment of a republican form of govern- 
ment in the Western Hemisphere. 

Another event of great moment occurred in the same 
year. A Dutch maurof-war exchanged twenty negro 
slaves with the planters of Jamestown for provisions. 
This was the beginning of ^egro slavery in the United 
States, which proved a great source of trouble until its 
abolition in 1863. It made the cultivation of tobacco 
a very lucrative employment in Virginia and in a very 
sliort time it became the leading industry of the colony. 

Virginia became a royal province in 1624, and the 
rights of the people were taken from them. Arbitrary 
ride wa^ substituted. Navigation laws were passed that 
had a direct bearing on the great American Eevolution : 
the King gave the entire province to two court favorite? 
for a period of thirty-one years. Governor Berkeley, be- 
longing to a company having a very profitable trade 
with the Indians, failed to protect the settlers from 
these savages; the colonists had no homes they could 
call their own, and their taxes were burdensome. When 
the Indians began ravaging the frontier, in 1676, Gov- 



20 MoccAsix Tracks 

ernor Berkeley refused to send aid to the endangered 
colonists. They chose Nathaniel Bacon, a young 
planter^ for their leader, and marched against the In- 
dians and defeated them. Berkeley declared Bacon a 
rebel; civil war ensued and Jamestown was burned. 
Bacon soon afterwards died of a fever contracted while 
camping in the swamps and about twenty of his ad- 
herents were executed by order of the governor. One 
hundred years after that time, the descendants of these 
men met at Williamsburg almost in sight of the ruins 
of Jamestown, and declared that Virginia was a free 
and independent state, and no longer an integral part 
of the British Empire. 

THE NEW ENGLAND COLONIES. 

Massachusetts. 

The English King, in the same year that the grant 
to the London Company was made, gave to the Ply- 
mouth Company the territory extending from the Hud- 
son river northward to Newfoundland. This em- 
braced the country between the thirty-fourth and thirty- 
eighth degrees of north latitude. 

As previously mentioned the first attempt at settle- 
ment within the limits of North Virginia was made 
in the State of Maine, in May 1607, but proved a fail- 
ure and no further attempt to establish a colony was 
made for thirteen years. 

At the beginning of the seventeenth century relig- 
ious toleration was not recognized by the English 
Constitution. All classes were required to pay a tax 
to support the clergy of the established church. Those 



AND Other Imprints. 21 

who refused to do this were fined or imprisoned. A 
body of persons calling themselves Puritans came into 
existence during Queen Elizabeth's reign. Out of this 
movement, the Separatists came into existence, who 
would not remain in the established Church of England. 
Many Puritan ministers were refused the right to hold 
religious services. When their congregations were 
broken up, about three hundred of these Separatists, 
now called Pilgrims, emigrated to Holland. 

These God-fearing and industrious people found 
themselves exiles in a strange land where they greatly 
feared that their children would not adhere to their 
religious beliefs, and the manners and customs of their 
English ancestors. Acting under the advice of their 
pastor, John Eobinson, they decided to seek a place of 
settlement in America. They borrowed a large sum of 
money from their friends in England, and also secured 
a patent to settle on the land of the London Company. 

On September 6. 1620, the Mayflower, carrying one 
hundred and one of the exiles, left the harbor of Ply- 
mouth bound for the Hudson river country. After a 
stormy voyage of three months, they landed off Cape 
Cod, hundreds of miles north-east of their destination. 
This was on land belonging to the Plymouth Company. 
Having no patent to settle on that Company's land, 
they drew up a compact on board the Mayflower in 
which it was agreed to form themselves into a civil body 
politic for the purpose of government, and John Carver 
was elected governor. This little band of exiles landed 
on December 21, 1620, near a large bowlder, now called 
Plymouth Eock. The winter was unusually severe and 
the food unwholesome. Before spring one-half the 



22 MoccAsix Tracks 

number had died. Fortunately for this brave little 
band, Indians were few and not very hostile. Miles 
Standish, the doughty little captain, defended the 
colony from those who were disposed to be troublesome. 
The Mayflower pilgrims were men and women who- 
had known hardships and privation in their native 
land, and the hostile climate and the scarcity of food 
did not discourage them. Deeply imbued with a relig- 
ious feeling, they went to work with a will that pre- 
saged success. 

"What sought they thus afar? 

Bright jewels of the mine? 
The wealth of seas, the spoils of war? 

They sought a' faith's pure shrine. 
Ay, call it holy ground. 

The soil where first they trod, 
They left unstained what there they found, 

Freedom to worship God." 

Massachusetts Bay Colony was settled at Salem, in 
1628, by John Endicott, who was a Puritan of the 
strictest kind. He wished to establish a place of refuge 
for those of his own faith only. 

By the year 1630 a great tide of emigration flowed 
into the Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay Colonies. 
John AYinthrop, a wealthy Puritan, with a fleet of 
eleven vessels brought over a colony of seven hundred 
persons with horses, cattle and all other things neces- 
sary for the establishment of a colony in the wilderness. 
This colony was established on a peninsula called by 
the Indians Shawmut but the English called it Tri- 
mountain. This was afterwards called Boston. With- 



AND Other Imprints. To 

in the next ten years, twenty thon^^and emigrants came 
to Xew England. Among this nnmber were men of 
wealth and education — ''the very flower of the English 
Puritans.'' 

For the first two years the colony was governed by 
a council called the Court of Assistants. In 1634 the 
towns sent representatives to the legislature, or General 
Court, which made the laws, and the right of suffrage 
was restricted to church members. In a few years the 
Puritans became as intolerant as the English Church 
had been toward them. Eoger Williams, Mrs. Anne 
Hutchinson, and others were banished from the colony. 

Education very early in the history of Massachusetts 
received the attention of the people. Provisions were 
made as early as 1635 for the establishment of a pub- 
lic school in Boston. A law^ was enacted in 1647 which 
provided instruction for every white child in the 
colony. The colony of Massachusetts laid the founda- 
tion for the free school system of the United States. 
The first college Avas established in 1636 and was named 
in honor of Eev. John Harvard. 

An event occurred in 1643 that was destined to 
wield a. decided influence on the political history of the 
United States. This was the union of Massachusetts 
Bay Colony, Plymouth Colony, Connecticut, and Xew 
Haven colonies for mutual defense against the Indians, 
the Dutch, and the French. This new England Con- 
federacy was maintained for nearly half a century, and 
was a presa.o-e of the union of the thirteen colonies 
against British aggression and tyranny wliich occurred 
about one hundred years after its dissolution. The 
colonies of Plvmouth and Massachusetts Bav united 



34 MoccAsix Tracks 

in 1G92 and formed the present State of Massachusetts. 

Other New England Colonies. 

The English government in 1623 granted to Sir 
Ferdinand Gorges and Captain John Mason a large 
tract of land between the Merrimac and Pisquatiqua 
rivers. This region was called Maine^ or the Mainland. 
The first ijermanent settlement was made by English 
emigTants at Dover about 1627. The land was divided 
between the proprietors; Gorges took the country east 
of the Pisquatiqua which was organized as a separate 
government and admitted into the Union as the State 
of Maine in 1820. 

Mason took that portion of the grant lying west of 
the Pisquatiqua which he called Xew Hampshire. 
Peligious exiles from Massachusetts settled at Exeter 
in 1638 under the leadership of Eev. John Wheel- 
wriglit. Scotch Irish emigrants settled at Londonderry 
and introduced the manufacture of linen. Daniel 
Webster, the noted statesman and orator, was a descend- 
ent of one of these industrious Scotch settlers. 

New Hampshire became subject t'o Massachusetts 
upon petition from the people of the first named col- 
ony l)ecause of its inability to protect the outposts from 
Indian depredations. The colony became a royal 
province in 1679 and remained so until the Ee^'olution. 

Both the Dutch and the English made an attempt to 
get possession of the Connecticut Valley. A number of 
settlements were made l)y emigrants from Massachusetts. 
Wethersfield and Windsor were founded by people from 
the vicinitv of Boston in 1635. In the same year a 



AND Other Imprints. 25 

company that had obtained a charter for the territory, 
sent out John Winthrop as "Governor of the Rivers of 
Connecticut/^ He built a fort at Saybrook to prevent 
the Dutch from ascending the river. 

The next year the Eev. Thomas Hooker left Mas- 
sachusetts with one hundred men, women, and children 
bound for the Connecticut river. They traveled on foot 
through an unbroken forest, driving their cattle and 
hogs before them. The minister led the way carrying a 
hoe on his shoulder to show his people the necessity of 
agricultural pursuits. This band finally reached Hart- 
ford, where a small settlement of English had previous- 
ly been made. A war declared against the Pequot In- 
dians in the spring of 1637 resulted in the destruction 
of that Indian tribe.' 

In 1639 the inhabitants of Windsor, Wethersfield, and 
Hartford met in convention and drew up the first 
written constitution in iVmerica. No mention was made 
either of the King of England or the Company which 
held a royal grant of the land of Connecticut. It was 
expressed in this constitution that its object was to 
maintain the peace and union of the colony. 

The Xew Haven colony was settled in 1638. Eev. 
John Davenport was one of the leading men and the 
laws drawn up for the colony were based upon the 
teachings of the Bible and they were called "Scripture 
Law^s." 

Connecticut never became a Eoyal colony but con- 
tinued to be governed by the charter granted by 
Charles I'until 1818. Andros, the tyrannical royal gov- 
ernor of Massachusetts, tried to secure this charter in 



26 MoccAsix Tracks 

1687 but the friends of popular government hid it in 
a hollow oak where it lay until better days. 

Rhode Island was settled at Providence under the 
leadership of Roger AVilliams in 1636. The province of 
Rhode Island was founded on the principles of soul 
liberty or liberty of conscience. This w^as a new idea 
and was thought to be dangerous doctrine, and it was 
freely predicted that it would soon cease to be popular^ 
but it had a rapid and sure growth until it was written 
in our Xational Constitution as a part of the funda- 
mental law of the United States. 

William Coddington, in company with Mrs. Anne 
Hutchinson, bought the island of Rhode Island and 
planted the colony of Portsmouth. Newport was 
settled by them in 1639. Roger AVilliams, in 161:1:, went 
to England and obtained a very liberal charter which 
united all three colonies into one province, and gave 
them full power to organize a government suitable for 
their needs and conditions. With slight modifications 
this charter was the fundamental law of Rhode Island 
until 1812. 

Vermont, formerly a part of Massachusetts, 1)ought 
her freedom from that state and was admitted into the 
Union in 1791, being the first state to be admitted by an 
act of Congress. 

Xo section of the United States exerted a .'greater 
influence upon the destiny of the Xation than the six 
state? of Xew England. The sturdy sons of these 
states have found homes in every portion of the coun- 
try, and with them they carried the Xew* England 
idea of government and religion. 



AND Otheu Imprints. 27 

New York. 

The Dutch built Fort Amsterdam and established a 
tradiiiig post on Manhattan Island in IGl^t. Xine years 
later a settlement was begun at that place, and also at 
Fort Orange, where Albany now stands, by the Dutch 
West India Company which sent over about thirty 
families. Peter Minuet, who became governor in 162G, 
purchased the island of Manhattan from the Indians. 
The Swedes in 1638 had established a colony west of the 
Delaware which they called Christina. This region was 
claimed by the Dutch, who made a conquest of New 
Sweden under Governor Peter Stuyvesant in 1655, and 
reduced it to submission. Xew Sweden was annexed 
to New Xetherland. But the Dutch triumph was of 
short duration. Great Britain claimed the territory 
occupied by both the Dutch and the Swedes. The Eng- 
lish King, Charles II, granted the Dutch possession to 
his brother James, Duke of York. In 1664 an English 
fleet was sent against New Netherlaud which resulted 
in its capture. The Dutch province of New Nether- 
land became the English province of New York named 
in honor of the Duke of York. 

Maryland. 

The English king granted to Lord Baltimore a tract 
of land comprising about 1200 square miles of territory 
north of Virginia called the ''Northern Neck." The 
grantee was a Catholic nobleman of excellent character 
and ability who wished to establisli a colony in the 
New World for his oppressed brethren, and for all 
others Vho were persecuted for conscience's sake. 



28 MoccAsix Tracks 

Two vessels, the Ark and the Dove, brought the first 
settlers to the province of Maryland in 1734. The col- 
onists, numbering two hundred, sailed up the Chesapeake 
Ba}^ and landed at a place which they called St. Mary's. 
From this small beginning the great State of Mary- 
land has grown. Baltimore city was begun in 1729 and 
had a very rapid growth. 

In the course of a few years the Protestants, who 
were welcomed by Lord Baltimore, overthrew his gov- 
ernment and established the Church of England as the 
government church in Maryland. The fourth Lord 
Baltimore, who had become a Protestant, was made 
proprietor and governor in 1715. He and his descend- 
ants continued to govern the province until the be- 
ginning of the Eevolution. Maryland was very early in 
her history the home of a liberty-loving yeomanry who 
did their full share in resisting the injustice that Great 
Britain perpetrated upon her American colonies. 

The Carolinas. 

Charles II granted a large body of land south of Vir- 
ginia to a company composed of Lord Clarendon and 
seven associates. This .grant was made in 1663. Settlers 
from Virginia, New England, and the West Indies had 
moved into that territory before the grant was made. 
In 1663 these people were organized into a settlement 
known as the Albermarle colony. The Clarendon colony 
was founded in 1670 on the Ashley river. A few years 
after, it was moved to the present site of Charleston. 

A very elaborate form of government was framed 
which was known as the "Grand Model." This gave the 



AND Other Imprints. 29 

common people no rights in the government because it 
recognized a kind of feudal system which was not suit- 
able for a backwoods settlement. This "Fundamental 
Constitution" was abandoned after twenty-one years of 
failure. 

The colony was divided into Xorth and South Caro- 
lina in 1712, and each was subject to a governor ap- 
pointed by the crown until the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence. 

The Carolinas early engaged in the manufacture of 
tar^ pitch and turpentine. In 1793 the cultivation of 
rice was begun. In later years (1741) indigo was in- 
troduced, and proved very profitable. The cultivation 
of rice and indigo gave rise to a large foreign commerce 
and made Charleston the leading commercial city of the 
South. 

Pennsylvania. 

William Penn, a devoted Friend or Quaker, received a 
tract of forty-eight thousand square miles of territory 
in America, from Charles II, in payment of a large 
sum of money which the king owed Penn's father. The 
king very generously named the province Pennsylvania, 
which means Penn^s woods. 

The first colonists were sent over in 1681 under Ed- 
ward Markham. Nearly one-third of the number died 
from smallpox on the voyage. The good ship. Welcome, 
cast anchor where New Castle, Delaware, now stands. 
Penn himself came over in 1682 and laid out the cilry 
of Philadelphia. Penn's scheme of colonization was the 
best of any in America and was attended with marked 



30 MoccASix Tracks 

success. B}' judicious management, he secured the good 
will of the Indians, who ever after remained the staunch 
friends of William Penn and his people. The colonists 
were given the liberty to enact their own laws and they 
were protected in their worship of God and no one was 
compelled to subscribe to a creed in which he did not 
believe. Philadelphia had a very rapid growth and it 
was the largest and most important city in the colonies 
at the outbreak of the Eevolution. 

Delaware. 

The history of Delaware is closely allied with that of 
Pennsylvaiiia. By reference to the sketch of Xew York, 
it will be learned that Delaware was settled by the 
Swedes under the name of New Sweden. This land was 
purchased in 1682 from the Duke of York by William 
Penn. It was called "The Territories" or the "Three 
Lower Counties on the Delaware." It was governed 
as a part of Pennsylvania until the Eevolution when it 
became independent under the name of Delaware. This 
was the first state to ratify the National Constitution. 

New Jersey. 

The territory now embraced in the state of Xew Jer- 
sey was claimed by the Dutch, who began a settlement 
at Bergen in 1617. After the English had conquered 
the New Netherlands in 1664, the Duke of York gave 
tiie whole country between the Delaware and the Hud- 
son rivers to Lord Berkeley and Sir George Cartaret. 
An English colony was begun at Elizabethtown. Lib- 
eral terms were given the colonists and each one was 



And Other Imprints. 31 

given a share in the government. The province was 
divided into West and East Jerseys. West Jersey was 
sold by Lord Berkeley in 1674 to some English Quak- 
ers, and some time after, Penn, and others, bought 
East Jersey from the heirs of Sir George Cartaret. 
The two Jerseys were united under the jurisdiction of 
^ew York in 1702. New Jersey became a separate 
province in 1738, and was ruled by a royal governor 
until the colony became independent of Great Britain. 

Georgia. 

Georgia is the yomigest of the thirteen original col- 
onies and was settled under the leadership of Gen. 
James Oglethorpe. The object of that colony was two- 
fold. South Carolina was exposed to attack on the 
south by the Spaniards. It was thought necessary to 
have a Ijody of men so placed that the commercial in- 
terests of Charleston could be protected. The second 
object was a very benevolent one, and was designed to 
alleviate tlie sufferings of the debtor class of England. 
At the beginning of the eighteenth century the jails were 
full of men who could not pay their debts. It was pro- 
posed to select the most deserving, pay their debts and 
bring them to America, where they could begin life 
anew under more favorable circumstances. 

A charter for a tract of land between the Savannah 
and the Altaraaha rivers was obtained and a settlement 
was begun on the Savannah river which was called 
Savannah. This was in 1733. 

Because of certain restrictions in regard to slavery, 
rum, religion, the law of descent, and the law-making 



33 MoccAsix Tracks 

power, the progress of Georgia was very slow and vac- 
illating. Upon the modification or removal of these 
regulations the progress was very rapid and a flourish- 
ing commerce with other English colonies and the 
West Indies came into existence. 

John and Charles Wesley, the founders of Method- 
ism, came to Georgia. John came as a preacher and 
Charles as private secretary of Oglethorpe. Rev. George 
Whitefield, "the silver tongued orator/' came over and 
established an orphan asylum near Savannah. 

In 1752 Georgia was changed from a proprietary to 
a royal colony. These thirteen English colonies ex- 
tended from the Spanish possession of Florida to the 
Bay of Fundy on the north, and extended far into the 
western wilderness. In some instances the claim ex- 
tended to the far away Pacific Ocean. They were 
slowly but surely gaining strength, which was greatly 
needed in the impending conflict with the wilderness 
and the Indians west of the Appalachian mountains. 
The majority of the colonists Avho ' sought homes be- 
tween the Alleghany mountains and the Ohio river 
came from the province of Virginia. The distance from 
Jamestown, the first place of settlement, to the base of 
the Blue Ridge, is about two hundred miles. Xearly 
seventy-five years were required to push the outposts 
of civilization to that point, and that, too, across a 
country comparatively level, and, in the main, but lit- 
tle infested w4th hostile Indians. This advance was at 
a yearly rate of less than six miles. In later years the 
outposts moved westward at an average yearly rate of 
seventeen miles. 

This westward movement was almost irresistible when 



AND Other Imprints. oo 

it began and it carried the tide* of emigration across the 
mountains, hills, and valleys of West Virginia to the 
Ohio, and still the tide flowed on to the Mississippi 
and the Great Plains beyond. A royal proclamation 
could not stop the great army of pioneers as it emerged 
from the western base of the Alleghanies. It will bt^ 
of interest to trace the extent of territory claimed by 
the English colonies to the westward. The boundaries 
of the colonies on the west were very indefinite. The 
charter granted to the London Company was thought to 
have extended the western limits of Virginia to tbe 
Pacific. Four states at the close of the Revolution 
claimed the territory bounded by the Ohio, the Missis- 
sippi and the Great Lakes. These were New York, 
Virginia, Massachusetts and Connecticut. The other 
nine states objected to this exclusive ownership, and 
asked for a part interest. 

Thomas Paine, in a pamphlet entitled the "Public 
Good,'' in his masterly skill argued that the whole 
TTnion should control all ungranted lands^ because this 
was the legitimate successor of the British government.. 
The four states concerned being influenced by this ar- 
gument, and a protest from the state of Maryland, 
generously yielded their claims to the Congress of the 
United States. New York ceded all of her claims west 
of her present western boundary in 1781. A^irginia 
gave up all claims to the Northwest Territory, except 
ownership in the Virginia Reserve Military Bounty 
Lands, in 1784, Massachusetts yielded all claims west 
of New York in 1783, and in 1786 she gave up to that 
state her claim to govern the western part, but retained 
ownership in the land. Connecticut ceded her claim to 
Congress in 178G, with the exception of a strip of land 



34 Moccasin Teacks 

one liundred and twenty miles long south of Lake 
Erie just west of Pennsylvania. This excei>tion was 
known as tlie A\^estern lieser\e and was given to the 
United States in 1800. 

The territory soutli of the Ohio known as the South- 
west Territory was liarder to adjust than the territory 
north of that stream. To Virginia was left the Dis- 
trict of Kentucky, wliich remained a part of that state 
until it was admitted as a state in 1792. Xorth Caro- 
lina claimed Tennessee, including tlie Watauga settle- 
ment, but in 1790 this claim was relinquished in favor 
of the United States. South Carolina ceded her claim 
to a narrow strip lying between western North Carolina 
and Georgia in 1787. Georgia claimed all the land be- 
tween the present state and the Mississippi and did not 
consent to her present boundaries until 1802. 

This vast extent of land lying west of the present 
boundaries of the thirteen colonies^ including the states 
of Kentucky and West Virginia, was admitted into the 
Union as sovereign states and the inhabitants thereof 
enjoyed all the rights, privileges, and immunities as 
those of the original states. 

The region now embraced in the states of Ohio, Indi- 
ana, Illinois, AVisconsin, and that part of Minnesota 
east of the Mississippi, was under the jurisdiction of 
Orange county, Virginia, in 1734, and in 1'738 it be- 
came a part of Augusta county. After the conquest 
of this territory by George Rogers Clark, in 1778, it 
was organized into the county of Illinois by legislative 
enactment of A'irginia. 

The Northwest Territory was the home of the In- 
dian tribes that made such disastrous incursions into 
northwestern A^iriiinia for a period of fifty years. 



II. THE INDIANS OF WEST VIRGHSTIA. 

In order to I'lilly under stand the pioneer history of 
West Virginia it is necessary to know something of the 
roving tribes of Indians who hunted and fished in the 
territory between the Alleghanies and the Ohio. Be- 
sides these occupations they waged a relentless war 
against each other and were ever ready to dispute the 
right of the white settlers to the country. It will not 
be necessary to enter into an extended account of the 
Mound Builders. It is evident from the great earth 
works, called "Mounds/' that a race in many ways 
superior to the Indians at one time dwelt in the Ohio 
valley. But a correct answer to the question, Who were 
they? will probably never be given to the satisfaction 
of ethnologists. 

That the Indians were here when the continent of 
Xorth America was discovered is a fact of history, but 
from whence they came is still an unsolved mystery. 
That they exerted a powerful influence on the history 
of every county of West Virginia is unquestioned. From 
a geographical standpoint the study of the Indians is 
most fascinating. The grandest mountains and the 
noblci^t rivers of tlie state are known by nam.es of In- 
dian derivation. Appalachia. as applied to the great 
chain of mountains, means ''the endless mountains." 
Alleghany, as applied to the greatest range of these 
mountains, signifies "the place of the foot print," be- 
cause of the early and late snows in that region. Ohio 
means "the river of biood," because of the great amount 
of Indian blood that flowed in the wars for tbe reten- 
t'lru (»r ibis l)cautiful and mo-t important river. The 



36 Moccasin Tracks 

Great Kanawha in the Shawnee language was Ivenin- 
sheka, meaning "the river of evil spirits''. The 
Shawnees called the Elk Tiskelwah, "'river of fat elk". 
The Delawares called it Pequoni, "the walnut river". 
The Gauley was called by the Delawares, Tokobelloke, 
"the falling creek". The present name of that stream 
is of French derivation. The Shenandoah was "the 
river of stars'^ and the Potomeck has been changed to 
Potomac. While the Indians spoke a guttural lan- 
guage, yet the names of our mountains and rivers de- 
rived from their language are very pleasing to the ear. 
The West Virginia counties of Kanawha, Logan, Mingo, 
Monongalia, Ohio, Pocahontas and Wyoming have 
names of Indian derivation. It is to be regretted that 
more of these names are not to be found on the map 
of the state. Xo tribe of Indians really possessed the 
soil of West Virginia when the first white man visited 
the region. A few scattering wigwams in the best 
fishing and hunting grounds belonged to temporary 
sojourners, who expected to remain for a short timo 
only. There was a time when West Virginia was the 
permanent home of the savages, but they were either 
driven out or exterminated. The conquerors were the 
Mohawks, a warlike tribe of Indians, whose home was 
in New York. They carried their conquest into many 
regions by means of firearms furnished by the Dutch, 
of N'ew York, between the years 1656 and 1672. A 
tribe of Indians, believed to be the Hiirons, occupied 
the country from the forks of the Ohio southward along 
the Monongahela and its tributaries to the Great Kan- 
awha and the Kentucky line. According to the ac- 
counts of the missionaries who were among them, not 



AND Other iMPraNTS. 37 

a Huron was left in the state. If a remnant escaped, 
none returned to occupy the land of their fathers. 
The conquerors did not choose to permanently occupy 
the subjugated territory. From this time until the final 
subjugation of the Indians by the whites, in 1795, many 
different tribes resorted to West Virginia during the 
spring, summer and autumn, but they returned to their 
homes, with few exceptions, beyond the Ohio, or to the 
northward into Pennsylvania or Xew York, upon the ap- 
proach of winter, and did not again return until the 
following spring. Each tribe had certain indefinite 
boundaries, confining them to particular territory. 
Bloody battles were often fought when one tribe was 
found on the territory of another. This occurred when 
game wa,s scarce in one part of the state and more plenti- 
ful in another section. Feuds of long standing and 
fancied wrongs of other years were settled on the hunt- 
ing grounds of West Virginia. The Cherokees, whose 
home was in the southeastern part of the United States, 
claimed that part of the state lying south of the Great 
Kanawha. The valleys of the Guyandotte and Big 
Coal rivers were hunting grounds that rivaled in excel- 
lence those of Kentucky. 

The Shawnees occupied the basin of the Great Kan- 
awha. This was a fierce, warlike tribe and was re- 
sponsible for many of the massacres perpetrated upon 
the frontier settlers. This tribe was the most perma- 
nently located of all the tribes in the state. They had 
towns in both Greenbrier and Mason counties. 

The Mingoes, located in the state of Ohio, claimed 
the territory between the Little Kanawha and the 
present site of Wheeling. These Indians were responsi- 



38 MoccAsix Tracks 

ble for much of the border warfare. Logan, noted for 
his friendship for the whites, was a Mingo chief. 

The Delawares occupied the valley of the Mononga- 
hela, while the eastern panhandle was considered the 
home of the Tuscaroras. The last named tribe was 
driven out of N'orth Carolina in 1712 by a neighboring 
tribe, and migrating to the north, they became the sixth 
member of the Five Nations, with whom they claimed 
kinship. Thus constituted, the Six Nations, comprising 
thfe Mohawks, Tuscaroras, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas 
and S'enecas, became the most powerful Indian confed- 
eracy in America. As formerly stated, the Mohawks of 
this confederation conquered all the territory now em- 
braced in West A'^irginia. All the tribes roaming over 
West Virginia acknowledged the supremacy of the Six 
Nations, in the territory between the Alleghany moun- 
tains and the Ohio. 

West Virginia was a favorite hunting ground for the 
Indians. The rivers were full of all kinds of fish : vast 
herds of buffalo, elk, and deer were found; the black 
bear, wild turkey, and ruffled grouse were in abundance. 
It is not at all strange that the Indians resented the 
encroachments of the white settlers upon this hunters' 
paradise, and that they waged a war of extermination 
against them. 

Webster county seems to have been a favorite resort 
for the Indians. The saline properties of the water of 
the "fork lick^' attracted large numbers of ruminating 
animals to its vicinity. The savage hunter laid in wait 
for his prey along the paths leading to the "lick", or 
else concealed himself in the bushes and killed the ani- 
mals when thev came to drink. 



AXD Other I]\[prints. 39 

Arrow heads, stone hatchets, fire stones, pipes, broken 
pottery, and many other implements of aboriginal manu- 
facture have been found in all parts of the country. 
Under a large, overhanging rock across the Elk river 
from the mouth of Mill run a great many arrow heads 
have been picked np. Seventy-five years ago these 
arrow heads were found by the score hidden in the 
crevices of the rocks. A spring of cold, sparkling 
water flows from under this rock, and the Indians 
used this as a camping ground and as an arsenal for 
storing their surplus supply of implements of the chase 
and of war. The materials from which these arrow 
heads, or ^^darts'^ as they were locally called, were 
brought from the regions of the Kanawha and the 
Great Lakes, and the manufacturing was done in the 
home while not eng^aged in hunting or fishing. In many 
places small chips or spawds of flint strew the ground. 
Defective or broken arrow heads are also found in the 
same vicinity. Masses of flint weighing as much as 
eight or ten pounds have been found on the Elk, the 
Gauley and the Birch rivers. Each shows unmistak- 
able signs of being chipped by some human agency. 

At the mouth of Cooperwood run is a large bottom 
that was once the site of an Indian camp or village. 
This bottom has been cleared for probably fifty years, 
and when recently plowed many implements of Indian 
manufacture were found, including broken pieces of 
clay pottery. Some of these pieces had ears on the 
sides, indicating that these receptacles were manufac- 
tured with some degree of skill. Other relics were 
found, including arrow^ heads, broken pieces of pipes 
and stone axes. The darts were parti-colored. Some 



40 Moccasin Tracks 

were white and red, while others were dark brown or 
black. In a low gap on Point mountain on a divide 
between the two Baltimore runs, more arrow head=> 
are to be fonnd than in other localities in the county. 
Tliese are especially plentiful in Steps Low gap, 
al)out three miles from the Charles McDodrill farm. 
Large quantities of chips and arrow heads can be 
picked up at this place. These conditions can be ac- 
counted for from the fact that this was the greatest 
hunting ground in the country when first visited by 
white men. The low gap was a crossing place for the 
game that wished to pass from one locality to another, 
and the Indians lay in wait by the side of the path until 
his intended victim came along, and he shot it at 
short range with an arrow tipped with flint. There 
are but few Indian graves and no mounds in the 
country. The Indians did not bury, those who died in 
battle. The absence of graves conclusively proves that 
tlie savages did not permanently occupy the territory 
cml)raced in Webster county. 

There were two Indian trails leading through the 
county. The tribes living 1)eyond the Ohio visited 
relatives in Greenbrier, Pocahontas and Eandolph 
counties. A small band of Mingoes lived at Mingo 
Flats, in Randolph county, about the time the whites 
began to occupy the Greenbrier, the Monongahela and 
the Kanawha valleys. This band was frequently vis- 
ited by friends froui what is now the state of Ohio. 
They traveled by way of the Little Kanawha and 
reached the Elk l)y way of the Flat woods country. The 
trail crossed the Elk at the mouth of Laurel creek 
and led up that stream and crossed the divide midway 



AND Other Imprints. 41 

l)etween Cowen and Upper Glade. It crossed the 
'Oauley at the old Indian Ford near the Jones mill. 
From that point it crossed the mountain through the 
low gap on the Gallogly place, and continued up the 
Williams river to its source. A branch of this path 
led up Elk river by way of the fork lick, but it. was 
not so well marked as the other one. When the first 
settlers came to the county these two trails could be 
easily traced, and the one passing through the Glade 
country can be located at this time, although it has not 
been traveled for more than one hundred years. 

Another route traveled by the Indians visiting 
Webster county was up the Gauley from the Kanawha. 
It left the Gauley at the mouth of Little Elk and pro- 
ceeded up that stream, crossing through a low gap to 
Peters creek and led on by the way of Beaver and 
Strouds creeks to the Gauley at Allingdale. 

But few Indians visited this section after 1750. 
Had Webster county not been an interior county the 
history of Indian depredations would have been very 
•different. Savage fury fell with the greatest violence 
on the .settlers who lived nearest the permanent homes 
of the Indians. 

It is ever with a feeling of sadness that the his- 
torian writes of a conquered and vanished people. The 
strife and hatred that existed between the Indians, the 
unlettered children of the forest, and the white men, 
who in many ways were their superiors, were of such a 
character that the great-grandchildren of the con- 
querors still harbor a feeling of resentment against the. 
subjugated people. This is but natural, when it is re- 
membered in what a cruel manner the Indians treated 



4:2 Moccasin Tracks 

their captives — many of \yhom were the immediate an- 
cestors of the present generation. 

The print of the moccasined foot of the Indian is nai 
longer seen along the banks of our rivers. The oldl 
pioneer with whom he fought is no longer seen in the? 
door of his rude cabin on the lookout for the approach i 
of his mortal foe. The buffalo, the elk, the deer, the^ 
bear, and the wild turkey have been driven from their 
accustomed haunts. The hunting ground over which s 
the contending parties quarreled and fought has ])een ! 
converted into farms and is now being tilled by the 
pale faces. Populous cities, busy with the hum of in- 
dustry, occupy the place where once stood the humble 
dwelling of the Indian. Where he buried his kindred 
and covered the grave with stones to prevent the body 
from being devoured by wild beasts, the white farmer, 
after removing the stones, cultivates his crop unmindful 
of any desecration. The whistle of the steamboat is 
heard on the streams over which the Indian silently 
but simply paddled his birch-bark canoe. The off- 
spring of the savages who occupied the territory now 
embraced in the state of West Virginia is today living 
on western reservations and dress and live like the 
white men, who are their neighbors. They have fine 
churches and commodious school houses. They are al- 
lowed the right of suffrage after they have broken up 
their tribal relations, and when they have adopted the 
white man's mode of dress. 



III. EXPLORATION AND SETTLEMENT 
OF WEST VIRGINIA. 

It was twentj'-iive years after the tide of migration 
had reached the base of the Alleghany mountains be- 
fore any one attempted to cross them. The region 
beyond was but little known, and no roads led across 
them, Here and there Indian trails and buffalo traces 
led across their black summits. Even after explorers 
and other adventurous men had penetrated the vast 
region beyond, the home seeker was slow to follow. 

The venturesome explorer was very early in the his- 
tory of Virginia' attracted to the Trans-Alleghany 
region, and many hastened into the land of the setting 
sun to make discoveries and to explore the country. 

As early as 1670 Henry Batts crossed the mountains 
and reached the Xew river valley. The party under his 
leadership was sent out to search for gold and silver. 
Batts reported the discovery of a new river four hun- 
dred and fifty yards wide flowing due north, and he 
expressed the opinion that the white cliffs and towering 
mountains bej^ond this river might contain silver* and 
gold. In 1671 the governor of Virginia sent out an- 
other exploring party to continue the work, and they 
passed within the territory of West Virginia into what 
is now Monroe and Mercer counties. The stream these 
explorers reached was called the New river, because 
it was not located on any of the maps of Virginia. 

In 1669 John Lederer, a German, was commissioned 
by Governor Berkeley, of Virginia, to make explorations 
to the westward. On one of his exploring expeditions 
he crossed the Blue Eidge near Harper's Ferry and 



44 MoccAsix Tracks 

continued his journey until he probably arrived at thee 
Cheat river. This was sixty-two years after the settle'| 
ment of Jamestown. He was probably the first whit( 
man to visit that region, and he made a map of thee 
country visited. This map is still in existence. 

Robert de La Salle, the most noted French explorer,, 
heard* of a large river to the west. He started fromi 
Canada and traveled by way of New York, accompanied I 
by Indian guides. 

He reached the Alleghany, which he descended to its 
junction with the Monongahela, in 1669. He floated 
down the Ohio to the falls, where Louisville, Kentucky, 
now stands. Here he was deserted by his Indian guides 
and was compelled to return. This expedition resulted 
in the French claim to the Ohio valley. 

The most noted of these exploring expeditions was led 
in person by Alexander Spottswood, governor of Vir- 
ginia. In 1716, at the head of a party of thirty 
horsemen, he left Williamsburg, the capital of the 
Yirg-^nia colony, and entered the western wilderness 
for the purpose of crossing the mountains. The Blue 
Eidge and the Shenandoah river were crossed, and still 
the party pressed forward. In the month of October 
the little party, surrounding their leader, stood on 
one of the highest peaks of the Appalachian moun- 
tains, which was most probably in Pendleton county. 
West Virginia, and drank a health to the English 
sovereign, Geoge I. On his return to Williamsburg he 
instituted the Trans-Montane Order, or Knights of the 
Golden Horseshoe, for the purpose of inducing emigra- 
tion to the regions beyond the Alleghanies. He pre- 
sented each one of the party who accompanied him on 



AXD Other Imprints. 45 

he ex23editioii a miniature horseshoe, bearing a Latin 
n.-eription, which meant ''thus he swears to cross the 
aiountain'\ These were given to any one who would 
iccept them, with the understanding that the recipient 
would comply with the terms implied in the inscrip- 
tion. This induced many persons to cross the mountains, 
and when they had beheld the fertile hills and valleys 
beyond, each greatly desired to make a home there for 
liimself and his family. 

John Van Mater, a Dutch trader, who had his head- 
quarters with the Delaware Indians, in Pennsylvania, 
traveled towards the south in 1725 to trade with the 
Indian tribes on the Potomac. When he returned to 
New York he gave a very glowing account of the land 
visited and advised emigration to the South Branch. 

This led to the Tan Mater patent of forty thousand 
acres of land received from Governor Gooch by his 
sons, Isaac and John. A portion of this grant was in 
Jefferson and Berkeley counties. 

The first white settler within the present limits of 
West Virginia was Morgan Morgan, who, in 1727, 
built a log cabin on Mill creek, in what is now Berkeley 
county. He was a native of Wales. Later in life he 
became a. minister of the gospel and was appointed the 
first justice of the peace when civil government was 
instituted west of the mountains, in 1743. 

In 1728 some Germans from Pennsylvania crossed 
the Potomac at the "Old Pack-horse Ford", and estab- 
lished the village of New Mecklenberg. The name was 
afterwards changed to Shepherdstown, in honor of 
Thomas Shepherd. This is the oldest town in West 
Virginia. 



46 MoccAsix Tracks 

The \'an Maters, in 1731, sold a part of their land,; 
wliieli bad been patented in 1730, to Joist Hite. Ini 
IVo'i tbe Joist Hite colony, consisting of sixteen fam- 
ilies, settled near Winchester, now Frederick county, 
Virginia. They came from York, Pennsylvania. While 
tbis colony was not within tbe state of AVest Virginia, 
it greatly influenced the settlement of tbe Eastern 
I'anliandle. 

Tbis western movement along tbe borders of Penn-i 
sylvania. Maryland, and Mrginia greatly incensed tbe 
Indians, who made incessant war upon the settlers. A 
commission was named by the three colonies to treat 
with tlie chiefs of the Six Xations. A treaty was 
signed in 1741: at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in which the 
region lying between the Alleghanies and the Ohio was 
ceded to the English. 

During the next decade many events transpired that 
bad a tendency to attract attention to the regions of 
the west. George Washington, a lad of sixteen, Avas 
employed l)y Lord Fairfax to survey that portion of his 
land lying between the Blue Pidge and the Alleghany 
monntains. • This work was done in 1747 and 1748, 

Heretofore the settlements bad been made in the 1 
Potomac and Shenandoah valleys east of the great Alle- \ 
ghany range, but now this great barrier was to be 
crossed and settlements made beyond it. Between 1748 
and 1751 three important companies, the Ohio Com- 
pany in 1748, tbe Loyal Company in 1749, the Green- 
brier Company in 1751, were formed and each received 
a large land grant in West Virginia. Many of tbe 
most illnstrions men in the Virginia colony were mem- 
bers of these companies. They were formed for the 



AND Other Imprixts. 47 

purpose of speculation and to induce emigration to 
the country west of the Alleghanies. Tlie Ohio Com- 
pany was instrumental in preventing the French from 
getting possession of the Ohio valley. 

The first emigrants followed well defined Indian or 
buffalo trails across the mountains. These in many 
places were widened by them and logs and other ob- 
structions were removed. There were six well marked 
paths or trails followed by the settlers who crossed 
the Alleghany mountains. 

The most northerly of these was the Xemacolin 
trail, located by Colonel Thomas Cresap in 1750. It 
extended from Cumberland to /Pittsburgh.' 'Colondl 
Cresap employed an IndiaUi named Xemacolin to mark 
out the best route from Cumberland to the Ohio, hence 
the irame. Four years after, George Washington 
widened the path while leading an army which was 
>^ent against the French. The next year General Brad- 
dock im])roved the road and extended it to Braddock's 
Field. This road influenced the history of West Vir- 
ginia only indirectly. Tlie first trail south of Xemac- 
olin's in West Virginia was McCullough's. This path 
was followed by a trader by that name, who traveled it 
between Shenandoah and the Ohio. It extended from 
Moorefield on the South Branch across the Alleghanies, 
by the way of Mount Storm, into Maryland and con- 
tinued into Preston county, where it was known as the 
Eastern trail. From there it continued to the Ohio. 

General Washington followed that trail in his mem- 
orable journey to the Ohio, in 1784. 

The Horseshoe trail was about twenty miles south- 
west of the McCullous^h trail. It crossed the Cheat 



-18 Moccasin Tracks 

rivor ;U ;i phuv (.'ailed the **liorseslioo''. This path 
braiicluHl t'loiu the Mt'Cullough trail near where the 
Town of (Jonnan. in Grant county, is now located. 1 1 
crossed the dividing ridge not far from the Fairfax 
stone. It crossed the Chi^at river, passed over Laurel 
hill to the X'alle.v river, two niik's below Philippi, and 
contiiuuHl to the Ohio. 

Thirty miles south of the Fairfax Stone was the 
Seneca trail, which was also called the Shawnee trail. 
This is the trail followed hy that tribe of Indians after 
the massacre of the whites at Fort Seybert nnder Kill- 
buck, in .1758. It led from the mouth of Seneca 
creek, in Pendleton county, across the AUeghanies to 
the Dry Fork of Cheat, and from thence to Tygarts 
valley, where the town of F]lkins now stands. It fol- 
lowed the Tygarts valley almost to its source, and then 
crossed over to the Little Kanawha, and on to the 
Ohio. 

The Pocahontas, or Dunmore trail, was thirty miles 
south of the Seneca. It crossed the Alleghanies to the 
headwaters of Greenbrier river. One branch led into 
Tiandolph county, and another one led to the Kanawha. 

The Greenbrier trail was south of the Pocahontas 
trail. It led from the Greenbrier river across the 
Alleghanies into Virginia. It was over these trails that 
the first white men entered the region west of the Alle- 
ghany mountains. 

The first settlers in Preston county entered that 
region by way of McCullough's trail; following the 
Horseshoe trail, they found homes in Tucker, Barbour, 
I^pshur, Lewis, and Harrison counties. Thomas Par- 
sons brouo-ht the first wacfon that crossed the Alio- 



AXD Other Imprints. 49 

ghanies by way of this trail. Randolph eoimty was set- 
tled by people who came across the mountains by fol- 
lowing the Seneca trail. Soldiers in Dunmore's War 
of 1774:- followed that trail to their homes in Hamp- 
shire county and the Valley of YirgiDia. 

The Pocahontas trail was a thoroughfare for settlers 
entering Pocahontas county or for those who wished to 
enter the Kanawha valley. Xeither of the above men- 
tioned trails passed directly through Webster county, 
but the people, or their ancestors, who eventually found 
homes wit]] in its limits, traveled one of these Indian 
trails. 

The French, the great commercial and territorial 
rival of England, was attracted to the rich lands of the 
Ohio valley and at once recognized the importance of 
occupying the country and fortifying their positions 
before they were assailed by their English rivals. This 
occupancy of the Tipper Ohio valley by the French 
threatened to dispossess the English of the fairest por- 
tion of Xorth America. The English prepared for war, 
and sent an army to America under General Edward 
Braddock. He, accompanied by Colonel George Wash- 
ington and the Virginia troops, marched against the 
French forces stationed at Fort Duquesne by way of the 
eastern portion of West Virginia. His utter defeat on 
the Monongahela, ten miles south of the fort, left the 
frontier unprotected from Indian ravages and violence. 
Instigated by the French, the savages waged a relent- 
less war, and hundreds of the settlers were either killed 
or carried away into captivity. Many forts were built 
along the frontier and whole settlements sought protec- 
tion and safety within their friendly walls. The French 



50 MOCCASIX T HACKS 

and Indian war closed by treaty in 1763, but tlie In- 
dians, under Pontiac, a powerful Ottawa chieftain, 
continued on the warpath for more than a year. 

General iiouquet, in 17GJ:, led a large force of Penn- 
sylvanians and Virginians against the Indians and de- 
feated them in a bloody battle at Brushy run, Pennsyl- 
vania, and with an army of fifteen hundred men 
marched beyond the Ohio and made a treaty with the 
Indians. 

By this time the tide of emigration had almost 
reached central West \'irginia. The first attempt to 
settle the upper Monongahela valley was made in 1754. 
David Tygart, in company with a man named Files, 
built cabins in the vicinit}' of Beverly, in Eandolph 
CiOunty. They found it very difficult to procure provis- 
ions for their families and they decided to move east- 
w^ard. Before this decision could be carried into effect 
the Files family was attacked by Indians and all were 
killed, except one small boy, who was some distance 
from the house when the attack was made. He hastily 
warned the Tygart family, all of whom were saved by 
flight. 

The Echarly brothers, in 1756, settled on Cheat 
river in what is now Preston county. Thomas Echarly 
was a physician of German ancestry from Pennsyl- 
vania. These three brothers reared their cabins on 
Dunkard bottom, not far from Kingwood. After a resi- 
dence of about two and a half years, the doctor went 
ca^^t for a su|)ply of salt and ammunition, which lie 
obtnined in the Shenandoah valley. On his return to 
Cheat he sto})ped at Fort Pleasant on the South Branch. 
When he told about his residence in the far west he was 



AND Other Impeints. 51 

not believed. He was thought to be a spy in the service 
of the French. A guard was sent with him, and when 
the cabins were reached his two brothers were found 
murdered and scalped by the Indians. 

Thomas Decker and others began a settlement at the 
mouth of Decker's creek, a tributary of the Mononga- 
hela, in 1756. One winter wa,s spent there, but, on the 
coming of spring, the settlement was attacked by the 
Indians and nearly all the settlers were murdered. 

In 1761 William Childers, John Lindsey, John Prin- 
gle, and Samuel Pringle left Fort Pitt and ascending 
the Monongahela river passed over to the Youghiogheny. 
They spent the winter on that river and in the spring 
the Pringle brothers separated from the others, and 
journeying eastward reached the Looney creek settle- 
ment in Grant county. This was then the most west- 
ern settlement in northwestern Virginia. They spent 
some time in the glades of Preston county, where they 
were employed as hunters in 1764 by John Simpson, 
a trapper from the South Branch of the Potomac. A 
misunderstanding arose among them and a separation 
took place on Cheat river. 

Simpson, after crossing the mountains to Tygarts 
A'alley river, passed on to another stream which he 
named Simpson's creek. Further on he found a small 
tributary of the Monongahela, which he named Elk 
creek, at the mouth of which he built a house in 1764. 
This was the first cabin erected on the present site of 
Clarksburg. 

The Pringles reached the Cheat and ascended it to 
the mouth of the Buckhannon river. They proceeded 
up that stream to the mouth of Turkey run, three miles 



52 Moccasin Tracks 

below the town of Biickhannon, in Upshur county. 
Here they lived in a large hollow sycamore tree from 
1764 to 1767. John then left his brother and went to 
the South Branch for ammunition. On his return he 
told his brother that the French and Indian war had 
closed nearly five years before. Both then returned to 
the South Branch and brought a number of settlers to 
the vicinity of Buckhannon. 

The settlement of the Greenbrier valley had a greater 
influence on the pioneer history of Webster county 
than any other settlement in West Virginia. The 
Greenbrier river was the gateway to the Kanawha 
valley. The path followed by the traders on their way 
to the Ohio passed through that county and for that 
reason the Greenbrier valley was very w^ell known to the 
whites at a very early date. The Greenbrier Company 
employed John Lewis to survey their lands in that region 
in 1749. The land was very fertile and settlers soon 
followed the surveying party. During the French and 
Indian war the Indians attacked the settlement and 
killed many. Those who escaped crossed the moun- 
tains. It is thought that no settlers were found in 
that region in 1758. 

The first white settlers to reach the upper part of 
the valley were Jacob Marlin and Stephen Sewell, who 
settled at Martin's Bottom, now the seat of justice of 
Pocahontas county, in 1749. Sewell, moving farther 
west, was killed by the Indians. 

A settlement made in Greenbrier county in 1761 was 
utterly destroyed by the Indians in 1763. In 1769 a 
number of families again settled in Greenbrier county. 
John Stewart, who became a noted soldier and Indian 



AND Other Imprints. 53 

fighter, came with these colonists, being but nineteen 
years old. From this time settlers moved in very 
rapidly and Donnally's fort, erected ten miles northwest 
of Lewisburg, became a refuge for the people during 
Indian incursions. 

Ebenezer Zane, together with his two brothers, Jona- 
than and Silas, settled on the Ohio, at Wheeling, in 
1773. Leonard Morris, in 1749, became the first 
permanent settler in the Great Kanawha valley. 
He settled near where Brownstown, (now Marmet), in 
Kanawha county, is now located. 

Virginians who fought in the great F]*ench and In- 
dian war were given lands in the Ohio and Kanawha 
valleys. Many noted men, including George Washing- 
ton, located lands in these rich valleys. The land on 
which the city of Charleston is now located was granted 
to Col. Thomas Bullitt, in 1773, for services rendered 
in the above mentioned war. This land was afterw,ard 
transferred to his brother, Cuthbert, who sold it to 
George Clendenin in 1787. The next year George Clen- 
denin moved to the mouth of Elk. He M^as accom- 
panied by his father, Charles, his brothers, William, 
Eobert and Alexander. They erected a block house, 
which -afterwards served the purpose of court house and 
jail. The block house was later called Fort Lee and 
when, in 1794, the forty acres of land owned by George 
Clendenin was laid off in city lots, the town was called 
Charleston, in honor of the father of the founder. 

The battle of Point Pleasant, fought in 1774, between 
the Virginians and various Indian tribes, in which the 
latter were defeated, further opened up the Trans- 
Alleghany region for settlement, but immunity from 



5-1: MoccAsix Tracks 

savage barbarity was not secured until after A\'ayne's 
great victory over the Indians at the battle of Fallen 
Timbers, in 1795. 

The population of the territory now embraced in 
what is now West Virginia was, at that time, about 
sixty thousand, which was but little in excess of the 
number of people living in Kanawha county according 
to the census of 1910. This was about six times the 
population of Webster county, as ascertained l)y the 
same census. A large majority of these people were 
native born and thoroughly American in manners and 
customs. 

When the tide of migration had reached the Kanawha 
and Ohio rivers, an eastern movement began. The 
trails follow^ed by the pioneers in their westward move- 
ment led either north or south of Nicholas, Clay and 
Webster counties. It was on this eastward migration 
that many settlers found homes in the above named 
counties. 



IV. GEOGRAPHY AND TOPOGRAPHY OF 
WEBSTER COUNTY. 

Webster county lies southeast of the central part of 
West Virginia, among the spurs of the Alleghany 
mountains. WeUster Springs^ the seat of justice, situ- 
ated near the center of the county, is thirty-eight de- 
grees and fifteen minutes north latitude and three de- 
grees and fifteen minutes longitude west from Wash- 
ington. It is bounded on the north by the counties of 
Braxton, Lewis and Upshur; on the east by Eandolph 
and Pocahontas ; on the south by Greenbrier and 
Nicholas, and on the west by Nicholas and Braxton. 
The area of Webster is four hundred and fifty square 
miles, which is almost the exact average of the fifty- 
five counties of West Virginia. It is ten square miles 
less in extent than Monroe ; ten more than either 
Wayne or Wetzel and twenty more than Lincoln. 

The surface is broken and uneven ; the smoothest 
parts being found in the Glades surrounding Cowen and 
in the vicinity of Hacker Valley. 

The rivers flow in a westerly direction. Between 
the streams extend long , parallel ridges varying in 
height from five hundred feet to two thousand feet above 
the river beds. The elevation above sea level varies 
from one thousand feet to four thousand three hundred 
feet. The Yew Pine mountains, among the head waters 
of the Gauiey, the Elk and the Williams rivers, are the 
highest points in the county. Point mountain, between 
the Elk and the Back Fork, is the next highest, and 
attains an elevation of four thousand feet. Other 
noted mountains of local prominence are Miller moun- 



56 Moccasin Tracks 

tain, just north of Webster Springs; Hodam moun- 
tain, between Holley and Hodam creek, and Cranberry 
Eidge, between Williams and Cranberry rivers. 

The Little Kanawha and the Elk leave the county at 
a/n elevation of one thousand feet. The Gauley leaves 
at^an elevation of two thousand feet and the Cranberry 
crosses the southwestern part of the county two thou- 
sand two hundred feet above sea level. 

Following the boundary obliquely on the west from 
north to south the following streams would be crossed : 
Little Kanawha river, Left and Eight Forks of Holly 
river, the Elk river, Laurel creek, heads of Little and 
Big Birch rivers, Strouds creek, the Gauley river, and 
the Cranberry river. The principal tributaries of the 
Little Kanawha in the county are the Eight Fork and 
Buffalo run: those of the Back Fork of Holly are 
Laurel Fork, Hodam creek and Old Lick Eun ; those 
of the Eight Fork of Holly are Grassy creek, Desert 
Fork, and Laurel Fork. 

The chief tributaries of the Elk are Laurel creek, 
which rises in the vicinity of Cowen ; Back Fork, 
emptying its waters into the main river at Webster 
Springs, and Leatherwood and Bergoo creeks, flowing 
from the south. 

The Gauley river has its origin in the spruce and 
hemlock forests of Webster and Pocahontas counties. 
Its chief tributary is the Williams river, which affords 
more water where it empties into the Gauley than that 
strcjam itself. Its mouth is about six mile)? above 
Camden-on-Gauley. Other smaller streams flowing into 
tlie Gauley are Strouds creek and Big Ditch rini, com- 
ing from the north: the clear sparkling waters of 



A^TD Other Imprixts. 57 

Turkey and Straight creeks unite with the Gauley 
from the south. The Cranberry, which empties into it 
in Nicholas county, flows through a portion of the south- 
western part of Webster. 

It will be seen from the foregoing enumeration of 
streams that Webster county is one among the best 
watered counties in West Virginia. All of the rivers 
are noted for the transparency of their water. They 
are swift-flowing and furnish excellent Avater power for 
turning machinery, but this power has never been 
utilized, except for saw and grist mill purposes. The 
Elk is the largest river and enters the county at Whit- 
taker Falls at an elevation of two thousand five hundred 
feet and traverses the county for a distance of fifty 
miles. It has a vertical fall in this distance of fifteen 
hundred feet, which is an average fall of thirty feet to 
the mile. 

The mountain sides bordering the streams are very 
precipitous and often high rocks project, making scen- 
ery of sublime beauty. The Webster county hills are 
greatly admired by hundreds of visitors who annually 
visit the county for the purpose of regaining strength 
and vigor or for pleasure and recreation. 

The western portion, locally known as '^^Glades", is 
a plateau-like region and is not so mountainous as 
other parts of the county. 

The climate is genial, salubrious, and bracing. On 
the higher elevations deep snows fall from November 
to April and a less amount falls on the hills and in the 
valleys. A record of the snowfall kept by Bowers 
Eose ia,t his residence near Bolair for the winter of 
1910 and 1911 indicated a fall of seven feet. This 



58 MoccAsix Tracks 

record was kept at an elevation of two thousand six 
hundred feet. Where the altitude is four thousand 
feet the amount of snowfall would have been about 
twelve feet. The winter above mentioned was an aver- 
age one of snowfall. 

The heat of summer is tempered by the cool moun- 
tain breezes and spring and summer are ideal seasons. 
The annual rainfall is somewhat above the average for 
West Virginia, which is forty-four inches. Doliver 
Hamrick, of AYebster Springs, kept a record of the rain- 
fall at that place for seven years, Avhich showed the 
following results: 1904, forty-eight and seventy-three 
hundredths inches; 1905, fifty-one and sixty hundredths 
inches; 1906, forty-seven and twenty-six hundredths 
inches; 1907, fifty-nine and twenty hundredths inches; 

1908, forty-six and thirty-three hundredths inches; 

1909, forty- five and fifty-seven hundredths inches; 

1910, sixty and seventy hundredths inches. Average 
for the seven years, fifty-one and thirty-four hundredths 
inches. It will be seen that the greatest rainfall oc- 
curred in 1910, with sixty and seventy hundredths 
inches, and the least in 1908, with forty-five and fifty- 
seven hundredths inches. 

Reckoning by months the following was the result in 
inches for the year 1909 : January, three and forty- 
six hundredths; February, two and thirty-two hun- 
dredths; March, four; April, seven and fifty-five hun- 
dredths ; May, three and eighty hundredths ; June, 
nine and fifteen hundredths; July, two and thirty- 
three hundredths; August, one and seventy-five hun- 
dredths ; September, three and sixty-five hundredths ; 
October, one and seventy-nine hundredths; November, 



AXD Other Imprints. 59 

two and Hfty liuiidredths ; December, three and twenty- 
seven hundredths. 

For the year 1910, January, three and forty-six 
hundredths; February, two and seventy-two hun- 
dredths; March, one and eight hundredths; April, five 
and fifty hundredths; May, five and seventy-three hun- 
dredths; June, eight and fifty-eight hundredths; July, 
four and sixty-two hundredths; iVugust, two and 
eighty-seven hundredths; September, five and sixty- 
seven hundredths; October, four and ninety-two hun- 
dredths; November, seven and thirty-five hundredths, 
December, eight and twenty hundredths. 

For these two years the least fall was in November 
of 1910, with only one and eight hundredths inches, 
and the greatest in June of 1909, with a precipitation 
of nine and fifteen hundredths inches. 

Protracted droughts are not of frequent occurrence, 
there being a sufficient rainfall for maturing all kinds 
of farm crops. 

Webster county is situated in the Transition life 
zone. This zone embraces most of the climatic condi- 
tions and products of the New England states. It is 
bounded on the north by the Canadian zone. This 
county has the characteristic types of animal and vege- 
table life of both of these zones. Of the Carolina 
types the sassafras, the poplar, and the pawpaw are 
typical trees; the opossum, the raccoon, the Virginia 
red bird, Carolina wren, and the tufted titmouse are 
animal types. The Canadian zone is represented by 
the hemlocks and birches, which are found in abund- 
ance throughout the county. Its animal life is repre- 
sented by the bay lynx, the red squirrel, and the white 



60 MoccAsix Tracks 

rabbit. The Transition life zone extends north and 
east through Upshur, Barbour and Preston counties. 
The characteristic crops of this zone are apples, plums, 
cherries, potatoes, barley, oats, and buckwheat. The 
glade portion of the county is peculiarly adapted to the 
growing of cranberries. No soil better adapted to truck 
farming can be found than in the river valleys of 
Webster countv. 



Number V. 

Webster county is rich in historical materials, yet 
she has given to the world no son who has had the 
time or the inclination to weave them into historical 
narration. 

The moccasin tracks of the old pioneers have long 
since been obliterated by the march of modern civiliza- 
tion. Pioneer history never repeats itself. !ln this 
country it ceased with the subjugation of the hostile 
Indians, the partial clearing of the forests, and the 
introduction of modern methods in house construction. 
It ceased when men and women began to put aside their 
home-spun clothes and buy their wearing apparel made 
to order. What real tragedies and comedies could be 
written from the experiences of the first settlers who 
moved into the Elk and the Gauley valleys. They left 
their homes and their friends in the east and followed 
the course of the setting sun, braving the fury of the 
Indians and the many privations and hardships incident 
to pioneer life. They have left us a rich heritage, al- 
though their life was one of hardship and privation. 
They obtained their living chiefly from the forest and 
the stream. Game of all kinds w^as plentiful and the 
streams literally swarmed with fish. They obtained 
sugar and syrup from the sap of the maple. The 
spinning wheel and the loom occupied a prominent 
place in e^evy cabin. The women manufactured cloth 
from wool and flax. This was made into clothing by 
hand, sewed with flax thread of their own manufac- 
ture. The girls wore linsey-woolsey or tow linen 
dresses, colored with bark obtained from the trees of 



62 MoccAsix Tracks 

the forest. These dresses were not cut according to 

the latest fashion plates depicted in the Delineator. 

The moccasin was made from tanned deer skins and 

was worn bj men, women and children. It was an 

excellent covering for the foot in dry weather. It, 

being soft and noiseless, was especially adapted to the 

foot of the hunter. The first white settlers in America 

learned how to make the moccasin from the Indians. 

The men wore leather breeches and a woolen hunting 

shirt. Their caps were made from the skins of the 

raccoon and the bay lynx, commonly called wild cat. 

The young men as late as 18J:0 were married in liome- 

made linen suits and deer skin moccasins. 
* * * 

Colonel Isaac Gregory settled on the Gauley just above 
the mouth of Beaver run in 1800. On the hill overlook- 
ing the Gauley, he erected a two-story log house of 
hewed timl)er thirty by thirty-six feet, with a cellar 
underneath, walled with cut stone. A large crowd of 
people came from Greenbrier, Bath, and Alleghany 
counties to "the hanging of the crane". The first 
meeting of Free Masons in C^entral West Virginia was 
held in the house at that time. After the meeting the 
women and children were invited in and all joined in 
a regular "Old Virginia hoe-down". To the music of' 
two violins playing such lively tunes as "Leather 
Breeches" and "Flat Foot in the Ashes" they danced 
until daylight. The Colonel becoming dissatisfied with 
his location, moved to Elk river, five miles above Web- 
ster Springs. He raised a company of soldiers and 
went to ^^orfolk to fio-ht the British in 1813. He reared 



AXD Other Imprixts. 63 

a large family of children, whose descendants still live 
in the community where he settled more than a century 
ago. By numerous intermarriages nearly one-half of 
the people of the county forty years ago could count 
blood-relationship with this grand old pioneer. 

William Hamrick, a son-in-law of Colonel Gregory, 
lived on Elk near the mouth of Mill run. He was a 
noted hunter and always kept a well-trained pack of 
bear dogs, and it was very seldom that bruin could 
elude their pursuit. He often killed one hundred deer 
and fifty bear in one year. The skins were taken to 
New Market, beyond the Alleghany mountains, and 
sold. This was the nearest market until a trading 

post was later established at Lewisburg. 

* * '^ 

William Dodrill settled on Birch river, near Boggs, 
in 17i)9. He came from Greenbrier county and was a 
tailor by trade. He made buckskin clothing of a very 
superior quality. The coats and vests were lined with 
silk or satin, trimmed with gold lace, and stitched 
with ])right colored silk thread. The breeches had a 
very fancy silk fringe placed along the outer seam of 
the legs. These suits were sent east and were worn by 
military men, gentlemen of leisure. Judges, county offi- 
cers, and sometimes by Virginia state officials. 

* * ♦ 

The last elk seen in Webster county was killed in the 
Gauley river above the mouth of Straight creek, more 
than one hundred years ago. A man by the name of 
Cottle, who lived at Cottle Glade, in Nicholas county, 
vras returning from a trip to Greenl)rier county by the 
way of the Elk river. At the Che-tnut Bottom ford. 



64 MoccAsix Teacks 

some distance above the mouth of Bergoo, he saw a 
large elk. He immediately returned to the nearest 
settlement for men, dogs, guns, and pack-horses. The 
trail was followed across- the headwaters of Bergoo 
and Leatherwood to a place on Sign-Board ridge, near 
where John E. Baughman now lives. The afternoon 
being far spent, the leashes were slipped from the dogs, 
and they started in eager pursuit, bringing their quarry 
to bay in the Gauley. The hunters followed as fast as 
the rough nature of the country would permit. When 
they arrived at the river their flint-lock rifles would 
not fire. They had been loaded and primed in the 
morning and had been carried in the rain all day. 
Cottle, who always carried a hatchet in his belt, waded 
into the water to his armpits, and seizing the elk by 
one horn, chopped with such good will that the huge 
animal was soon despatched and dragged to the ]>ank, 
where those engaged in the chase held a regular Indian 
war dance around the fallen monarch of the forest. 
The next day they had a sylvan barbecue. One of the 
hunters became deathly sick from eating too much 
marrow, but his life was saved after an application of 
the most severe remedies known in backwoods medical 
practice. In after years, when Cottle spoke of his ex- 
citing and dangerous adventure, he always remarked, 
*^'By the living Lord, I hewed him down". 

Buffaloes were probably the first distinguished vis- 
itors to the now famous Webster Springs. They came 
here in vast herds to drink of the saline water of the 
"Fork Lick." This lick, or spring, is just below the 
steel bridge that crosses the Elk. At the time in which 



AND Other Imprints. 05 

the buffaloes visited the lick, the entire river flowed over 
by the '^Golden Shore" and the lick was in the bottom 
instead of in the bed of the river, as it is now. The 
buffaloes sometimes traveled almost a hundred miles to 
drink the water, making deep roads called "buffalo 
traces'^ by the first settlers. The space of more than a 
century of time has not entirely obliterated these roads 
in the clay soil and shale on the sides of the Elk moun- 
tains. AVhen the settlers found out the character of 
the water of the lick^ they boiled it in iron kettles and 
made a very inferior quality of salt, there being con- 
siderable quantities of iron and sulphur in the water. 
These salt-makers fomid scores of buffaloes quietly 
ruminating in the shade of the trees surrounding the 
lick. Their meetings were not always peaceable ones. 
Battles royal often occurred between the leaders of 
herds from different localities. They would remain in 
the vicinity of the lick for two or three d.ays before 
returning to the rich pasturage from whence they 
came. The last buffalo seen in Webster was kilh:!',! by 
Colonel Isaac Gregory between the Back Fork and the 
Elk just before the war of 1813. The place where he 
was killed has since been called Buffalo Bull Knob, in 
commemoration of the event. Immense numbers of elk 
and deer also frequented the lick. 

The liospitality of the early settlers was unbounded. 
Strangers were always welcome, as well as friends and 
relations. They were pressed to remain for days and 
w^ere feasted on hoecake, venison, bear meat, maple 
syrup, hominy, and honey. They were naturally of a 
?ocial disposition. Log rollings and house raisings were- 
social events of no little consequence, and a wedding- 



6{) MoccAsix Tracks 

bi ought together the people for miles •around. Every 
family received an invitation. After each of these 
funelions the young people, and many of the older ones 
^ilso, danced all night in moccasins on a puncheon floor, 
Jn the later years, when they had an opportunity to 
hear the gospel preached, they became deeply imbued 
witli a religious feeling, and the Methodist circuit rider 
recei\'ed a royal welcome in every home. 

:l: >;,- * 

The days of the old pioneer have passed away. The 
moccasin tracks are gone. The first settlers who dared 
the dangers of frontier life in the unbroken wilderness 
of the Elk, the Gauley, and the Holly have crossed the 
great divide. Their achievements are only traditional 
history. Xo historian was present to record their 
actions in the subjugation of the wilderness. No 
Withers, Doddridge, or Kerchival has chronicled their 
^.]ee(\f^ in burning words of perpetuity. Their deeds 
are living monuments in the memory of the older per- 
sons of the pi'esent generation. The younger members 
of the present generation know nothing of what the 
pioneers did or accomplished except what they have 
been told by the children of the actors in the great 
drama of the subjugation of the wild. 

T-he buffalo, the deer, and the elk, no longer visit the 
"Fork Lick.'' The dusky Indian no longer glides noise- 
lessly through the forest, nor does his blood-curdling 
war-whoop frighten the women and children. Their de- 
generate offspring has been removed to the far west, 
where they have long since discarded the dec^rskin 
moccasin, the tomahawk, and the scalping knife. Tn 
their uew home they are learning the vices as well as the 
virtues of their ]iale-faced conquerors. 



Number VI. 

There has been much discussion as to Avho first dis- 
covered the Fork Lick. Many persons have been given 
this honor, but no positive proof has been adduced to 
sustain any of these claims. The notes of a surveyor 
recently discovered in the A'irginia Land Office bearing- 
date of August 30, 1785, conclusively proves the name 
of the man who made the discovery. The survey was 
for a tract of two hundred and sixteen acres of land 
situated on the main fork of the Elk river, in Harrison 
county, granted to Samuel Hanaway and Joseph Friend, 
and was to include "the Fork Lick discovered by 
Abram Meirs''. The time of the discovery is left to- 
conjecture, but it was not long before the date given 
al)ove, as an entry would soon follow such a valuable 
find, even in this country one hundred and thirty years 
ago. 

One of the most noted lines made by a surveyor in 
West Virginia is what is known as the Greenbrier- 
Harrison county line surveyed by Thomas Douglas in 
17(So. It extended from the top of the Alleghany 
mountains at the corner of Botetourt county to the 
Oliio river at the mouth of Pond creek. The general 
direction of the line is north fifty-five degrees west. 
'I'lie surveyor made a corner at the end of each mile. 
1 n after years a large number of surveys began at these 
corners and no land lawyer is thought to be well 
equipped unless he is well versed in these surveys. All 
territory in Western Virginia north of this line not 
embraced in any organized county was Harrison and 



68 Moccasin Tracks 

south was to remain Greenbrier as organized in 1777. 
This line entered Webster near the forks of the Wil- 
liams, passing through Upper Glade and leaves the 
county on the divide between Skyles and Laurel creeks. 
The many difficulties, encountered by the men who 
established this line cannot easily be imagined. The 
Indians were hostile; deep, swift rivers had to be 
crossed; high mountains offered many obstacles; pack 
horses could not be used to advantage, and the food 
and camp fixtures had to be carried by the men. Game 
and fish were plentiful and could be had in any quan- 
tities, but the luxuries of life were few. Plates were 
made from large chips and could be duplicated at any 
camping place. The only knife used was the hunting 

knife carried by every man who went into the woods. 
* ♦ * 

Many deeds of heroism could be related of the early 
settlers of this country. While wild animals were 
neither so large nor ferocious as those of more tropical 
countries, yet a hand to hand encounter with a wounded 
bear or a seven-pronged buck w^as no easy victory for 
the hunter. Panthers, or mountain lions, as they are 
called in the A¥est, were quite numerous, but they would 
not attack a man unless they were mortally wounded 
Or in defense of their young. They fed almost ex- 
clusively upon venison, and a full grown panther would 
kill, on an average, fifty deer annually. The largest 
buck fell an easy prey to this rapacious animal. The 
panther lay in wait near a lick or deer path and- sprang 
unawares upon his victim, burying his formidable claws 
deep in the flesh. The jugular vein or the tendons of 
the neck were severed with the teeth. The only way 



AND Other Imprints. 69 

in which the deer could free himself before this could 

be done, was to run under some projecting tree or log 

and drag the panther from his back. This but seldom 

occurred. , 

♦ * ♦ 

William Barnett, a noted hunter, who lived on Birch 
river, had many encounters with bears. Among the 
many which I have heard him relate is the following: 

In the days before the Civil War many bears could 
be found on Skyles creek or Poplar run. Mr. Barnett, 
early one morning in the month of November, started 
on his usual bear hunt, but he did not tell his wife the 
direction in which he intended to go. It was a fine 
day for a hunt and with a light, springy step, he 
hastened to his favorite hunting grounds on the head 
of Poplar which was about five miles from his home. 
His faithful dog, his companion on all his hunts, a 
small but sagacious animal, followed close at his 
master's heels. The hunter perhaps thought of the 
many fine trophies he had secured in those w^oods, but 
he little imagined that this was to be the most adven- 
turous day in his hunting career of more than a quarter 
of a century. Late in the evening, as the shadows be- 
gan to creep over the landscape, the dog returned home 
with a bloody cloth tied around his neck. Mrs. Barnett 
with quaking heart hastily informed her neighbors, who 
at once entered the trackless forest in search of the 
missing hunter. 

Mr. Barnett had shot a very large bear and after 
reloading his gun, went up to where he was lying. Be- 
fore the hunter realized the danger, bruin seized him 
in his strong embrace and hunter and bear rolled down 



70 Moccasin Tracks 

the hill against a log, where they were soon engaged in 
a life and death struggle. Unsheathing a large knife 
the gallant hunter struck again and again at the bear, 
but on account of his position, he could n^t reach a 
vital place. He struck the bear over the head until the 
brain was penetrated, and the decayed log breaking at 
this time the bear rolled down the hill, and not having 
sufficient strength to climb the ascent, soon expired 
while trying to reach the hunter. In the fight Barnett 
cut a large gash in his thigh, severing the muscles to the 
bone. He was completely disal)led. With his hands a 
mass of wounds, he bound up the cut with strips of 
cloth torn from his shirt. He tied a bloody cloth 
around the neck of his dog, that had done everything 
he could to assist his master in the fight, and after re- 
peated whippings, he started off in the direction of 
home. The luinter then crawled to the bear and took 
out the entrails. He built a fire, using flint, steel and 
tinder for the purpose. He was not found until about 
three o'clock the next morning. He had called for help 
until he bad become so hoarse that he could call no 
longer. He attracted the attention of his rescuers by 
waving a firebrand. He was almost frozen and the 
great loss of blood had made him almost delirious from 
thirst. The man who found him carried him water 
in his boot. He often said that this was the most 
delicious water he ever drank. He was carried home 
on a litter, and after lying in bed for many weeks, he 
recovered, but he was always somewhat lame afterwards. 
Many a bear in after years fell before his unerring aim, 
or felt the keen point of his hunting knife. 

William Barnett, the hunter, was a man among men. 



AND Other Imprints. 71 

The world was made better because of his having lived 
in it. He was an exemplary citizen and merited the 
respect of all who knew him. He had a rich fund of 
anecdotes of the chase which being told in his droll, 
humorous way, made him a prime favorite with the 
boys. He was a gunsmith and a Barnett rifle was 
highly prized by all sportsmen. The name was a guar- 
antee for honest workmanship. He died full of years, 
honored and respected by all of his neighbors. 

George MoUohan and Joshua Stephenson were dev- 
otees of the chase when the great portion of Web- 
ster and Braxton counties were a part of jSTicholas. 
Mast very seldom failed and game of all kinds was 
]:)lentiful and in prime condition. Tliese two men were 
brothers-in-law and spent much of their time together 
in the woods. MoUolum was a man devoid of fear. When 
lie was a young man, he attacked a full-grown bear 
Avith a "seng'' lioe and would have killed him had he 
not step]ied on a slick pole and his moccasins being wet, 
lie slipped and fell. The liear taking advantage of this 
mishap, made good his escape. On another occasion he 
found a yearling bear in a persimmon tree. Climbing 
the tree, he caught tlie bear and after choking it into 
insensilu'litv, be tied its montli with his suspenders 
and carried it home in triumph. 

Stephenson was not renowned for his bravery, })ut he 
wa- a very good hunter. These two men in the month 
of Xovember went to the bead of Little Birch to hunt. 
They- had not hnnted very long until a large he bear 
was wounded. They thought they would make him 
furnish his own transportation up a very steep moun- 



72 MoccAsix Tracks 

tain. B}^ throwing stones and barking like a dog^ they 
drove him before them. When he showed fight, they 
let him rest for a while. In this way they reached the 
top of the mountain. Their surprise and chagrin can 
scarcely be imagined when the bear suddenly vanished 
from their sight as if hy magic. On investigation it 
was found that the bear had entered a cave, or den, 
where bears had been in the hahit of hibernating dur- 
ing the winter. Mollohan at once began preparation 
to follow^ bruin into the subterranean cavern. He made 
a pine torch and told Stephenson to shoot the bear when 
he drove him out. There was a short turn about twenty- 
five feet from the entrance to the cave and in turning 
the angle the hunter was greeted with an angry growl. 
Before he could shoot, the bear was upon him, and the 
torch was extinguished. There was not sufficient room 
for the bear to pass, and before Mollohan could reach 
tlie outer world, he was almost killed. There was 
scarcely a square inch of sound skin on his entire 
body. The flow of blood down his forehead almost 
blinded him. His clothing was torn to shreds. When 
Stephenson heard the fight hegin, he became so 
frightened that he ran some distance and climbed a 
tall tree. It is needless to say that the bear made his 
escape. Mollohan was carried home by sympathizing 
neighbors and lay in bed for a year. He went into the 
cave the following autumn and got his hunting- rifle. 
Tie afterwards moved to Braxton county and cleared a 
large farm, becoming one of the best farmers in the 
communitv in which ho lived. 



VII. THE HAMRICK FAMILY. 

Patrick Hamriek settled in the Maryland Colony in 
the days prior to the American Eevolution. He was the 
father of twelve sons, who moved with him and settled 
in Prince William county, Virginia. Some of these 
sons removed as far south as Georgia; some went to 
Kentucky. Benjamin and Joel settled in Greenbrier 
county, now West Virginia. Benjamin^married a Mc- 
Million'^and removed to Cherry Tree Bottom, where 
the town of Eichwood is located. From there he went 
to the Williams river, where he was informed of an 
intended Indian massacre. Hastily gathering together 
a few household articles and taking his family, iie fled 
to Donnally's fort, situate in Greenbrier county, ten 
miles northeast of Lewisburg. One of his children, a 
boy only a week old, was carried by one of the men in 
the back of his hunting shirt one entire day without 
sustenance. 

It was not known whether the child was living or 
dead until it was taken out at the fort late in the 
evening. It soon revived, but its collar bone had been 
broken. After the Indian danger had passed, he moved 
to the mouth of Big Birch and began an improvement 
at -a place called Big Elk. He was the father of four 
sons, William, Benjamin, '^David and Peter. The last 
named remained in Braxton county, and the other 
three settled in the Elk valley above Webster Springs. 

William and Benjamin married Jane and Nancy, 
daughters of Colonel Is'aac Gregory, and David married 
a Miller. William, the hunter, had four sons, Isaac, 
Adam, Benjamin and William G. The last named was. 



7-1: Moccasin Tracks 

one of the valiant sons of Webster county, who 
responded to Lincoln's call for volunteers. He wa$ 
wounded at the battle of Winchester*, while acting as 
color-bearer, but he was with Grant at Appomattox and 
was the proud possessor of a heart-shaped piece of the 
apple tree under which tbe surrender was negotiated. 

The sons of Benjamin were Allen, Addison, A\'illiani, 
James" and Christopher. David's sons were James, Peter, 
John, David, Benjamin, George, Levi, and William. 
Interesting sketches could be written of each of these 
seventeen great grandsons of Patrick Hamrick. They 
lived active, industrious lives and left sons to perpet- 
uate their names. 

sj: Hs ^J: 

The three brothers above mentioned were the 
ancestors of the very numerous family of Hamricks now 
living in Webster county. It will be seen from the fore- 
going, that they are of prolific stock and the meeting 
so many stalwart Hamricks between Webster Springs 
and Whittaker Falls need not create surprise. This is 
by far the most numerous family in the county, tliere 
l)eing about four hundred representatives in Fork Lick 
district. The descendants of P'atrick Hamrick can be 
found in nearly every state west of the Alleghanies 
and in almost every county of West Virginia. The 
name is spelled in various ways in different localities. 
"Hamrick," "Hamric," and "Hambrick," are the three 
ffuins most generally used. 

5lS Hi * 

James Dyer, Senior, c'ame from Pendleton county 
about 1810, and located above Fork Lick. His son 
James married a Sawyers and settled on the Gauley, 



AXD Other Impeints. 75 

where he built a commodious house on a hill over- 
looking the river, at the mouth of Beaver run. He 
brought the lirst wagon to what is now Webster county, 
in 1837, from Alleghauy county, Virginia. He was 
the first Superintendent of Free Schools of Webster 
county, and made a most excellent official. John E. 
Dyer, now (1915) Clerk of the Circuit Court, is a great- 
grandson of James Dyer, Senior, the pioneer. His 
grandsons, Harvey, George, and Cyrus, are prominent 

citizens of Webster county. 

♦ ♦ ♦ 

John E. Cogar came from Braxton county in 1842. 
He was a son of Jacob Cogar, who was a member of the 
company of soldiers, that went to Xorfolk in 1813 to 
fight the British. He was one of the last survivors of 
the Second AYar of Independence, having lived to the 
extreme age of one hundred and four years. Jolin E. 
married Mary Gregory and settled on the divide be- 
tween the Elk and the Gauley, in his twenty-first year. 
He cleared 'a, large farm, which he kept in a fine state 
of cultivation. As an orchardist he was unsurpassed 
and his apples would have brought a fancy price in any 
market. He was one of the hest bee hunters in the 
county, and after he had passed the allotted three score 
and ten, he still went into the woods in search of 
wild bees. He was also very successful in the pursuit 
of bears, deer and panthers. He killed a greater number 
of the last named animal than any other of the pioneer 
hunters. He was the father of a large number of hoys, 
wiio still live in the county ivhich their father helped 
to establish. 



76 MoccAsix Tracks 

David Baughman settled on the Gauley one mile 
above Turkey creek in the latter part of the thirties. 
He was a farmer, a cooper, a millwright, a carpenter, 
and a blacksmith. He possessed real mechanical talents, 
and had he received a technical education, he would 
have become a master workman. He was very peculiar 
in many ways but his honesty and his veracity were 
never questioned. He, too, was an orchardist and his 
fine orchard still standins^ is a monument to his in- 
dristry and perseverance. When he first moved to the 
Gauley brook trout were very plentiful and could be 
caught in large numbers. In the spring, they would 
congregate below his mill dam in large schools, wait- 
ing for a tide to enable them to pass up stream. Some 
large trout may yet be caught at the Baughman mill. 



Number VIII. 

My readers are invited to accompany me on an 
imaginary trip from Skyles creek, the western limit of 
Webster county, to Mill run, five miles above Webster 
Springs, in the autumn of 1849. The distance is thirty- 
six miles and can be traveled in one day, if an early 
start be made, and the entire trip will be in Nicholas 
county, formed in 1818. Each one of the party must 
be accustomed to horse-back riding, as the roads are not 
suitable for carriages of any kind. The 1-oad is very 
narrow and it will be necessary for us to ride "Indian 
file." While there are no deep ruts in the road made 
by wagons, see that your saddle girths are well cinched, 
because some of the hills over which the road is made, 
are very rough and steep. 

Christopher Baughman, a man of German ancestry, 
lives near the starting place. He has lived here for 
several years and has cleared a small farm. His son 
John, who married Susan Dyer but recently, lives a 
mile above on the south bank of Birch river. He is the 
owaier of a small grist mill and has just begun cutting 
down the timber for the purpose of farming, but by in- 
dustry he will soon have a, good farm. One mile above 
lives William Barnett, the noted hunter, who recently 
came from over in Braxton county. We will not call at 
his home for it is most likely that he is in the woods 
in pursuit of game, for it is in the midst of the hunting 
season. 

When passing this way again, we will stop and par- 
take of his bear meat and venison which his wife 
Charlotte knows so well how to cook. Above here 



78 • MoccAsix Tracks 

lives Henry Cutlip^ who came from Greenbrier county. 
These are the only persons living on Birch river at the 
time of our trip. We pass through the Welch Glatle 
country but find no one living there, but in that part 
of the county is destined to be located one of the 
busiest and most prosperous little towns in Webster. 
Austin Hollister, a typical Connecticut Yankee, lives 
three miles above Welch Glade. He married Margaret 
Given and selected a very pretty location for his home 
on a small eminence. He is a farmer and his sur- 
loundings show the true Xew England thrift. 

8amuel Given lives at Upper Glade and his son. John 
lives in the same vicinity. Mr. Given moved from 
Batli county, Virginia. He served as county clerk of 
Nicholas county for seven years. It is now noon and 
we will have dinner with this excellent family renowned 
for hospitality. Our host entertains us to the entire 
satisfaction of each member of the crowd. Venison, 
bear meat, buckwheat cakes, and some excellent wild 
honey are greatly relished after the fifteen mile ride 
in tlie bracing November air. Samson Sawyer lives 
at Sand run. He is one of the best farmers in 
Nicholas. His fields are well tilled and barn and 
granary are filled almost to bursting with the products 
of liis farm. There is a neat and substantial gate in 
the entrance of each field. 

Adonijah Harris lives at the top of the mountain 
at what is now known as the McGuire farm. He is a 
blacksmith and a fine mechanic. He is a class leader 
in the Methodist church and is respected and loved by 
all who know him. We have arrived at Fork Lick, but 
we find no visitors or health-seekers. But one familv. 



AND Other Imprints, 79 

Mrs;. Polly Arthur and her children, live here. Her 
husband, who died just previous to our visit, was the 
first person buried at Webster Springs. Thomas 
Cogar lives above Mrs. Arthur's and William Given 
lives at the Given ford. These were two of the old time 
settlers, and each left a numerous family whose de- 
scendants still live in Webster county. Adam Gregory 
lives on the old Gregory farm. The evening is far 
spent, and in the gloaming we reach our destination. 
William Hamrick lives on the north side of the Elk 
nearly opposite the mouth of Mill run. He is one of 
the old pioneers, having settled here in 1812. He is a 
noted hunter and always keeps a pack of well trained 
bear dogs. He has a large fund of anecdotes of the 
chase with which he will entertain us after supper. 
He will also tell us the sad story of a Mrs. Smith, who 
was murdered by the Indians at Miller bottom a short 
distance from where he lives. She and a Mrs. Drennan 
and a little son had been captured by the Indians near 
wh.ere Ed ray, in Pocahontas county, is now located and 
was being taken beyond the Ohio by way of the trail 
that led j^ast the Fork Lick. Mrs. Smith was not able 
to keep u]) with the party and she was tomahawked and 
scalped, and her body thrown into the river. We have 
traveled all day, and we have seen but fourteen dwelling 
houses, and we have passed but few people on the road. 
Should we take this trip today, we would scarcely, if 
ever, be out of sight of a farm house. We would pass 
seven ])ost offices and two thriving towns, not to men- 
tion the numerous saw mills surrounded by dwelling 
houses. Teams of all kinds would be met hauling lum- 
l)er to the railroads or merchandise for the stores. A 



80 Moccasin Tracks 

sanitarium with all the modern equipment is located 
at Cowen, while in 1849 there was not a physician in 
the vast territory embraced in Nicholas county. There 
were neither mail routes nor post offices, and if a news- 
paper by chance was obtained by any one, it was passed 
from hand to hand until its contents had been read 
by the entire neighborhood. There were not more than 
three schools taught within the present limits of Web- 
ster in 1849 and 1850. Today there are two high 
schools, and more than a hundred primary and graded 
schools, being taught, and every boy and girl has an 

equ-al opportunity to get an education. 
* * * 

The people of this county eighty years ago were very 
supersititious. They believed in witches, omens, spells, 
magic charms, and incantations. This is not at all sur- 
prising, when it is remembered that among the most 
enlightened people of Europe less than two hundred 
and fifty years ago witches were publicly burned at the 
stake. In Massachusetts the most cultured and devout 
persons believed in witch-craft as late as 1692. Even 
today many persons, after three centuries of education 
and enlightenment, believe in the old-time supersti- 
tions. In pioneer times, if a person was stricken with 
some malignant disease, the cause was at once traced 
to some one in the vicinity who exerted an evil in- 
fluence over him, but now some of the modern religious 
sects attribute the cause of all diseases to the works of 
the devil. 

"Witch balls'^ were often found. These were small 
balls made from the hair of a cow, or other short-haired 
animal, and could be neither made nor unraveled except 



AND Other Imprixts. 81 

by a witch or someone in league with his Satanic 
Majesty. The fact is that these balls can be made by 
any one who has the patience to work long enongh. A 
gnest, who balanced a chair on one of its legs and 
rapidly revolved it, was regarded as an enemy of the 
family, and was at once ordered off the premises. 
The pioneers believed most implicitly in lucky and 
unlucky days. No good housewife could be per- 
suaded to begin the making of any article of dress 
on Saturday. The person for whom it was intended 
would never live to wear it when finished. It was 
thought to be a family misfortune for a child to be born 
on Friday, the thirteenth of any month. If the child 
lived, which was extremely doubtful, it would bring 
Fhame and disgrace to its parents. If a hoe was carried 
through /a dwelling house, a death in the family would 
soon occur, unless it was immediately carried back with 
the handle pointed towards sunrise. This reminds 
one of the devout Jew and the Mussulman who faced 
Jerusalem and Mecca when praying. The rising sun 
to the old pioneer indicated the homes beyond the 
mountains where kindred and friends dwelt. 

Sassafras wood was never burned in the fireplaces of 
many cabin homes. The person who did this invited 
certain destruction of his entire household either by 
fire or flood. Dogs were often laid under a spell by a 
witch or some other person of evil nature. This was 
evinced by their taking the "back" track in a chase or 
running in the opposite direction when called. When 
a dog was so afflicted the Lord's prayer was written on 
a jiiece of .bear skin, and after being baked in a corn 
pone, was fed to the dog. The roasted fore-foot of a 



8,2 Moccasin Tracks 

raccoon en ten liy the do^ would start him on the right 
v\u\ of a trail. Cows were bewitched and gave bloody 
milk, Or hutter conld not be made from it. The remedy 
for these conditions was to steal the suspected witch's 
dish rag and massage the^ cow's udder with it nine times 
when the moon was full. When a profuse hemorrhage 
occurred from a deep cut or other wound^ a certain verse 
in the Bil)le was quoted to stop the flow^ of blood. This 
was thought to be a most excellent remedy for both man 
and beast. It was considered very unlucky for any one 
who started on a journey to return to the home for 
any purpose, and the hunter wlio counted his bullets 
returned empty-handed from the chase. 

Misfortune followed in the footvSteps of those who 
saw the siher crescent of the new luoon for the first 
time through the treetops. If was equally unluckv for 
one to see the new moon in looking over the left 
slioulder. It was considered a crime to allow a baby 
niuler a year old to see its reflection in a mirror. Tt 
was tliought that many a pioneer youngster was hurried 
into an untimely grave by this pernicious practice. 

In the olden time a prosperous farmer put six hogs 
in a ])eii. and he made preparations to butcher them 
the next day. When he went to the pen next morning. 
ho found them dead. The blood was splashed against 
the sides of the |)en, but a thorough examination showed 
the skin unlu'oken. This was thought to be the work 
of an eccentric old lady who was accused by her neigh- 
l)ors of being a witch. This was the current belief for 
years by the ]H^o]ile of the entire neighborhood. Tlu^ 
mystery was so1v(h1 by tho old lady's son, who upon his 



AND Other Imprixts. 83 

death .bed confessed that his mother had hired him to 
kill the hogs with a heavy club. 

Two elderly pioneers were talking of witches. One 
of them said that he did not believe they could bewitch 
a person. The other one thought that it could be done, 
and mentioned an instance in which a gun had been 
"spelt. ^' "Oh, yes," said his companion, with fine scorn, 
"such a little frivolous thing as a gun can be brought 
under their control, but with a person it is quite dif- 
ferent. It can't be done.'' Guns were often spoiled for 
present use, by a rival hunter, or marksman, putting a 
small pellet of resin in the barrel. This prevented ac- 
curacy in shooting, but could be easily removed by a 
gunsmith. A horseshoe was often nailed on the doorstep, 
or hung just over the door to keep watches from entering 
the house. They then could not enter and live. 



Number IX. 

The Glade country attracted the settlers very early 
in pioneer days. ]n imany places there were open 
spaces covered with native grasses which afforded ex- 
cellent pasturage for stock. The land was not so 
heavily timbered as the Elk, the Gauley, the Holly 
and the AVilliams river valleys. Game was more plenti- 
ful in that region than in any locality, except in the 
vicinity of the Fork Lick. The oak forests supplied an 
abundance of food for fattening hogs. During the 
autumn and winter hundreds of deer fed upon the 
acorns. They came from long distances to that feed- 
ing ground. Along the bluffs of the Gauley and the 
Williams bears could be found in large numbers. The 
Indians, as late as 1772, hunted in that region, and one 
of their principal trails in central West Virginia passed 
through this hunter's paradise. 

Game continued to be plentiful until after the (Hvil 
War, and in 1868 two hunters killed more than two 
hundred deer. 

The majority of the early settlers in the Glades came 
from Greenbrier county, following the Indian and buf- 
falo trails ^across the mountains. The McClures, the 
Duefields, the Dillys, and the Greens were among the 
first settlers. Later came David Hanna, John Woods, 
the Eaders and the Mortons. Descendants of these 
families are numbered among the most progressive citi- 
zens of Webster and Nicholas counties. 
* * * 

Samuel Given sold his farm in Pocahontas county in 
1835, and brought his wife and five children across the 



AND Other Imprints. 85 

Yew mountains by way of the Williams river. He 
camped the first night at the mouth of Tea creek. The 
scream of the panther and the howl of the wolf made 
the night hideous, especially for the children. The 
journey was continued the next day by way of Straight 
creek and the Gauley. The second night was spent 
with John Miller, who had settled a few years before 
near the mouth of Miller Mill run. This night was 
spent in better cheer than the previous one. They had 
the best of backwoods fare, and the soft skins of wild 
animals made them excellent beds. 

Mr. Miller was a good hunter and especially success- 
ful in a bear chase, as he always kept a number of the 
very best dogs. He was a good farmer and he owned 
one bottom containing one hundred acres. He broke 
the ground with an old-fashioned, wooden mold-board 
turning plow, much used at that time. On the third 
day the Given family landed at the farm purchased of 
the McClures. This land had been patented in 1786 
and lay south of the Harrison-Greenbrier county line. 
Upper Glade postofFice is located on a part of the Given 
farm. = Given was a man of great industry and soon 
had his farm in a fine state of cultivation. He became 
one of the largest individual land owners in Nicholas 
county, but his land was situated in what is now Web- 
ster county. At the beginning of the Civil War he 
went to Augusta, his native county, where he died and 
was buried near the Mossy Creek Church, in which he 
worshiped when a young man. He was the father of 
eight children, four boys and four girls, all of whom 
grew to manhood and womanhood. 



86 MoccAsix Tracks 

Austin Hollister, of Washington, Connecticut, mar- 
ried Margaret, a daughter of Samuel Given. He first 
settled in Pocahontas county in 1840. While there he 
purchased the Price land, being a part of a thousand 
acre tract patented by Arbuckle in 1786. The old 
Hollister farm, between Cowen and Upper Glade, is a 
noted landmark of the county. By purchase and patent 
lie obtained thousands of acres of wild land. He was 
Chief Justice of Nicholas county for three years. He 
was survived ])y five sons, whose names, from the simi- 
larity of sound, when used in pairs, have often proved 
perplexing to strangers. His eldest son, Walter, held 
many positions of trust in the county of Webster, and 
was recognized as being a surveyor of marked ability. 



X. FORMATION AND ORGANIZATION 
OF WEBSTER COUNTY. 

The early settlers of the Elk valley were far removed 
from a seat of justice. It was forty or fifty miles to 
the county seat of Randolph county and almost as far to 
that of Braxton county. A great many citizens were 
practically disfranchised, as it was twenty-five miles to 
the nearest voting place. In 1841 a petition signed by 
Benjamin Hamrick, James Hamrick, William G. Greg- 
ory, William Hamrick, Isaac G. Dodrill, William F. 
Hamrick, Isaac Hamrick, and Joseph Gregory, was 
sent to the Virginia Assembly, praying for specified 
changes in the lines of Braxton and Randolph counties 
so as to make the petitioners subject to Nicholas 
county. While this change did not bring them in close 
proximity to a court house, it gave them a better road 
over which to travel and obviated the necessity of ford- 
ing the Elk so mam times, which was* very dangerous 
during a flood. 

The movement for the formation of a new county ^ 
out of parts of Nicholas, Braxton and Randolpli began 
iij 1848. In compliance with the law of Virginia, a 
notice was posted on tlie front door of the court house 
of the three counties concerned, stating the intention 
of tJie citizens to ask the General Assembly for the 
creation of a new county. Tliomas Miller took tlie 
notice to Braxton county and Adonijali Harris posted 
the notice in Nicholas. It is not known who posted 
tlie notice in Randolph, but an affidavit made by 
Christopher Hamrick stated that he saw the notice 
posted in October, 1848. Polls were opened at the 
various voting precincts in Braxton in the autumn of 



88 MaccAsix Tracks 

1851. The election returns of but one voting place in 
Nicholas is available at this time. This election was 
held at the home of Mrs. Mary Arthur at Fork Lick 
on December 8, 1851. There were nineteen votes polled 
and each voter cast his vote in favor of the new county. 
The following- is a list of the voters: Benjamin Ham- 
rick, John Lynch, Isaac Hamrick. Robert Gregory, 
Mathew Given, George Cogar, Peter L. Cogar, Archi- 
bald Cogar, Thomas Cogar, John C. Paign (Payne), 
Joel Dobbins, Levi C. Hall, Thomas M. Eenals 
(Reynolds), Adonijah Harris, William Given, Addison 
M. Hamrick, Robert E. Given, John C. Hall, and A. 
M. Whitman. John Lynch, Adonijah Harris and 
William Given acted as commissioners of election. 
Addison M. Hamrick, clerk, and A. M. Whitman, 
sheriff. This was the first election ever held in Webster 
Springs. 

In 185? a petition signed by John Lynch, Jr., and 
about two hundred others was presented to the General 
Assembly, but it was rejected. Another effort for a 
new county was made in 1859. A few interested men 
took the responsibility of arranging the preliminaries. 
Such men as Adam G. Lynch, Wilson Arthur and 
Richard A. Arthur led the movement. Adam G. 
Lynch, at his own expense, posted the proper notices 
in Nicholas, Braxton and Pocahontas counties. This 
was no small undertaking in that day. The following 
petition was presented to the General Assembly in De- 
cember, 1859 : 
"To the General Assembly of Virginia, Assembled: 

''We, the citizens of parts of the counties of Ran- 
(lolpli. Nicholas and Braxton Liveino- from forty to 



AND Other Imprints. 89 

fifty miles from our Court Houses having mountains 
and Eivers very difficult to contend with, we ask your 
Honorable body to Grant us a new county out of parts 
of the counties of Eandolph, Nicholas and Braxton and 
the Boundary to be as follows towit. 

Beginning at the forks of Little Kanawha thence a 
Straight line to the corner of Upshur Kandolph and 
Braxton Counties, thence a straight line to the turkey 
Bone Knob thence a straight line to the \Aniiitaker 
Eock on Elk Eiver thence a straight Line By the way 
of the three forks of Gauley Eiver to the Pocahontas 
line and withe said line to a point opposite the mouth 
of Stroud's Creek thence a straight line by the mouth 
of Stroud's Creek to the mouth of Skiles creek on 
Birch Eiver thence a straight line to the Halfway 
point on Holly Eiver, thence a straight line to the 
Beginning. The county seat of said new county to be 
at Fork Lick on Elk Eiver Between Elk Eiver and the 
Back fork of Elk. 

AVilson Arthur, Adam G. Lynch, Sr., John Lynch, 
Jr., John Lynch, Sr., Isaac G. Lynch, Eichard Arthur, 
Alfred E. Miller, Eobert P. Miller, George W. Payne, 
Wm. Cogar, John W. Arthur, Zackariah Woods, Cur- 
rence Gregory, Wm. P. King, John C. Payne, Thomas 
J. Miller, Addison M. Hamrick, John Phares, 
Christopher Shrader, Samuel Tharp, Jeremiah Brown, 
Cornelius G. Cool, Benjamin Cogar, L. B. Cool, Chris- 
tain B. Ware, John B. McCourt, Thos. Belknap, I. W. 
Cool, Elijah Skidmore, Thomas Cogar, John McGuire, 
H. C. Moore, C. Hamrick, Benj. Hamrick, John E. 
Cogar, G. W. Miller, M. W. Howell, A. Cogar, James 
M. Hamrick, A. C. Hamrick, F. S. Cline, F. M. Payne, 



90 MoccAsix Tracks 

Adam Gregory, Joliii Graiinen, Tliomas J. Cogar, 

George Dodrill, — Sutliermore, Solomon Grigsby, 

Xathaiiiel Arters (Arthur), Thomas M. Arthurs, John 
C Cool, Silas Cogar, Wm. E. Arters (Arthur), George 
Lynch, John L. Arthurs, Wm. E. Lynch, Perry Greg- 
or}-, John Skidmore, Allen Hamrick, Marshall Ham- 
rick, James Pritt, Wesley Pritt, I. Y. Gregory, \V. G. 
Hamrick, Fielding McClung, D. M. McLaughlin, A. 
G. J. Burns, Daniel H. Perdue, Samuel C. Miller, A. 
¥. Fisher, Andrew Woods, J. E. Hall, Tobias Size- 
more, Franklin Pritt, Walter Cool, William W. Clif- 
ton, James Salisbury, Wm. Given, Archibald Cogar. 
George Cogar, Peter Cogar, Tobias Cogar, Jesse Payne, 
Isaac Mynes, Adam G. Hamrick, Arthur M. Bickel, 
Samuel Brady, -John W. Arthur, C. M. Dodrill, Wm. T. 
M. Chapman, Adam G. Gregory, Benjamin Hamrick, 
Wm. Griffin, James Harris, Adonijah Harris, Taylor 
Suttdn. 

It will be seen by a careful examination of the peti- 
tion that the pioneers were somewhat short on orthog- 
raphy, capitalization and punctuation, but they knew 
what they wanted, and they took the proper steps to 
get it. Xo vote was taken in the counties interested 
in the formation in 1859, because consent had been 
given in the election of 1851. 

The following is Chapter 47 of the Acts of the 
Virginia General Assembly .of the session of 1859-60 : 

An Act for forming a Xew County out* of parts of 
Nicholas, Braxton and Pandolph. 

Passed January 10, 1860. 

1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly, that so 
much of the counties of Nicholas, Braxton and Pan- 



AXD Other Imprints. 91 

dolph as is coDtaiiied within the following boundary 
line, to-wit : 

Beginning- at the main forks of the Little Kanawha 
river, above Haymond's mills; thence north with the 
right hand fork of said river, being the original line 
of Lewis and Braxton eonnties, and now the line be- 
tween Upslmr and Braxton comities, at the head of 
said right hand fork of Kanawha ; thence a slraight 
line to the eastern corner of the lands of Abraham 
Buckliannon; thence a straight line to the .Whittaker 
rock on Elk river; thence a straight line, by the way 
of the Three forks of Gauley river, to the Pocahontas 
line, and with said line to a point opposite the month 
of Strond'^ creek, thence a straight line by the mouth 
of Stroud's creek, to the mouth of Skiles' creek on 
Big Birch river; thence a straight line to the half way 
point on Holly river; thence a straight line to the 
beginning — be and the same is hereby established as a 
new county ; which shall be known by the name of 
Webster. 

2. The court house or seat of justice of said county 
of Webster shall be located on the farm of Addison 
McLaughlin at the Fork Lick on Elk river, between 
the said river and the Back fork of same ; which said 
seat of justice shall be known by the name of Addison. 

3. The following persons, to-wit, Samuel Given, 
Thomas Cogar, William Given, and Thomas Reynolds 
shall be and are hereby appointed commissioners, a 
majority of whom may act, for the purpose of select- 
ing a site for a court honse, jail and other public 
Iniildings for said county of Webster, who are hereby 
required to meet at Fort Lick on the first day of March, 



92 MoccAsix Tracks 

eighteen hundred and sixty, or within thirty days from 
and after that day, and within ten days after their 
meeting ascertain and determine at what point or place 
on the farm aforesaid in the said connty it is most 
suitable and proper to erect a court house and such 
other buildings and fixtures as the convenience of the 
county requires, under the existing laws, for holding 
courts *and conducting business incident thereto, and 
lay off, in the most convenient form, a lot or lots of 
land for that purpose, not exceeding in quantity two 
acres, and shall ascertain the value thereof; where- 
upon, the said commissioners, or a majority of them 
acting in this behalf, shall make their report in writ- 
ing to the county court of Webster county, when organ- 
ized, the manner in w^hich they have executed their 
duties required of them by this act, and their proceed- 
ings in relation thereto, designating the point or place 
agreed upon, the value of the lot or lots of land, and 
the name or names of the owners thereof ; and the place 
so ascertained and determined upon by said commis- 
sioners, or a majority of them, shall be deemed and 
taken as the permanent place for holding the court of 
Webster^ now required by law to be holden for the 
several counties of this commonwealth, and the court of 
the county of "Webster shall thereupon provide for the 
payment of the valuation of the lot or lots of land so 
ascertained, in the manner now required by law, where 
lands shall not be already provided and apportioned for 
that purpose. 

The commissioners aforesaid shall also lay off the 
said county of Webster into three magisterial districts, 
select points at which elections shall be holden in each 



AND Other Imprints. ' 93 

district, and appoint a conductor and live commis- 
sioners (any three of whom may act) to superintend 
the elections to be holden for the said county of Web- 
ster, on the fourth Thursday of May next. 

5. It shall be the duty of all persons residing within 
the limits of said county of Webster, who are now en- 
titled to vote for members of the general assembly, to 
attend at the respective election precincts so selected 
by the said commissioners, on the fourth Thursday in 
May, eighteen hundred and sixty, and elect a sheriff, a 
clerk of the county court, a clerk of the circuit court, 
a commissioner of the revenue, surveyor and Common- 
wealth's attorney for the county of Webster; and the 
voters residing in each magisterial district shall elect 
for that district four justices of the peace, one con- 
stable, and one overseer of the poor. The election of 
justices of the peace shall be certified to the governor 
of the commonwealth by the several commissioners and 
conductors superintending and conducting said election^ 
who, after they shall be commissioned and qualified 
according to law, shall meet at the house of Thomas 
Cogar on the fourth Monday in the next month after 
that in which they shall be so commissioned, and a 
majority of them being present, shall fix upon a place 
in said county of Webster for holding the courts of said 
county until the necessary buildings shall be con- 
structed on the site designated by the commissioners. 

6. The said justices shall, at the first term of the 
county court of said county, choose one of their own 
body, who shall be presiding justice of the County 
court, and whose duty it shall be to attend each term 
of said court. 



9-i Moccasin Tracks 

7. The commissioners and conductors of the elec- 
tions aforesaid shall certify to the said county court of 
Wehster, at its first term, or at some subsequent term, 
as soon as practicable, the election of the said clerks of 
the county and circuit courts, commonwealth's attorney, 
surveyor, and commissioner of the revenue, who shall, 
after giving bonds and security, and being qualified 
according to law, enter upon the discharge of the duties 
of their offices, respectively. 

S. Tlie voters of the said county shall also, on the 
fourtli Thursday in May next, vote for a judge of the 
judicial circuit to wliich the county of Webster belongs; 
and the commissioners and conductors of the elections 
aforesaid shall superintend and conduct the election 
for judge and deliver to the officers conducting the 
election at or nearest the county seat of said county, 
witliin tliree days after said election, a certified state- 
nu^nt of the result of said election for judge of said 
county, as required by the thirty-third section of an 
act providing for the general elections, etc.. passed 
j\Iarch the thirteenth, eighteen hundred and fifty- 
eight. And the said conductors shall meet with the 
officers whose duty it is -to ascertain and declare who 
is elected judge of said judicial circuit, the time and 
])lace re(]uired by law, and perform such other duties; 
as the law prescribes for an officer conducting said 
election at the court house of the county. 

0. The commissioners hereinbefore appointed to lay 
off the county of Webster into magisterial districts, 
shall be allowed each a compensation of two dollar? 
pcM* day for their services aforesaid. 

10. The term of office of the commissioner of the 



AXD Other Impeints. 95 

revenue of the said county of Webster shall commence 
on the first day of February, eighteen hundred and 
sixty-one; and the commissioners of the revenue of 
the counties of Xicholas, Braxton and Eandolph are 
I hereby required to discliarg-e the duties of their re- 
^])ective offices in that part of the limits of the said 
ll('^v county, that was taken from the said counties of 
Nicholas, Braxton and Kandolph, respectively, for the 
])resent year; and they are hereby to keep the list 
taken by them in the said county of Webster, separate 
and distinct from the list of said counties of Nicholas, 
Braxton and Randolph, and return of the same in the 
manner now prescribed by law, in the same manner as 
if appointed commissioner of the revenue for the said 
county of Webster. 

n. The treasurers of the school commissioners in 
the counties of Nicholas. Braxton and Eandolph, re- 
spectively, shall be and are hereby required to pay to the 
treasurer of the school commissioners of the new county 
of Webster, upon the order of the commissioners last 
mentioned, out of the fixed and surplus quotas of the 
school funds of the said counties of Nicholas, Braxton 
and Eandolph for the present year, such sum as sliall 
seem to them to be in due proportion to the ])opula- 
tion of the said new county of Webster, taken from 
tile .^aid counties of Nicholas, Braxton and Eandolph, 
!es])ectively, including any balance now remaining un- 
ex])cnded, as also of the proportion as aforesaid accru- 
ing from said quotas, to which Nicholas, Braxton and 
Eandolpli countie> are or may be entitled to for any 
former year. And it shall be the duty of the second 
;auditor to reapportion the fixed and surplus school 



96 Moccasin Tracks 

quotas of the counties of Nicholas, Braxton and Ean- 
dolph for the next fiscal year and subsequent years, 
between the said counties of Nicholas, Braxton, Ean- 
dolph and the new county of Webster, agreeable to their 
respective numbers of white tithables which may be 
returned therein by the commissioners of the revenue 
for the, present year eighteen hundred and sixty. 

12. It shall be lawful for the sheriffs of the counties 
of Nicholas, Braxton and Eandolph to collect and make 
distress for any public dues or officers' fees which may 
remain unpaid by the inhabitants of the said new 
county of Webster, in such parts of the said new county 
as were taken from said counties of Nicholas, Braxton 
and Randolph, respectively, at the time when this act 
shall commence and be in force, and shall be account- 
able for the same in like manner as if this act had 
never been passed. 

13. The courts of the counties of Nicholas, Braxton 
and Randolph, respectively, shall retain jurisdiction of 
all actions and suits pending before them on the first 
day of July next, and shall try and determine the same, 
and award execution thereon, except cases wherein both 
parties reside in the new county; which, together with 
the papers, shall after that day be removed to the court 
of the county of Webster, and there be tried and de- 
terminer] . 

11. The said county of Webster shall be in and at- 
tached to the fifteenth judicial circuit, and the circuit 
court thereof shall be holden on the twenty-third day 
of May and the twenty-third day of October of every 
year, and l)e with the same brigade district with the 
county of Nicholas. 



AND Other Imprints. [)7 

15. The t?aid county of Webster shall belong to the 
same senatorial districts as that part taken from Nich- 
olas and Braxton voting with the senatorial district to 
which Nicholas and Braxton belong — and that part 
taken from liandolph voting with the senatorial dis- 
trict to which the county of Kandolph belongs, and 
shall belong to the eleventh congressional district, and 
the same electoral district for the purpose of choosing 
a president and vice-president of the United States, as 
the county of Nicholas; and the voters of said new 
county shall vote as they have heretofore voted for 
members of the house of delegates. 

16. The county courts of said new county shall be 
holden on the fourth Tuesday in each month, and the 
quarterly sessions of said county shall be holden in the 
months of March, June, August,^ and November of each 
year. 

17. The surveyor hereafter elected for Webster 
county, in the mode prescribed by law, together with 
the surveyors of the counties of Nicholas, Braxton and 
Eandolph, shall run and mark the boundaries of said 
county of Webster, agreeably and in conformity to the 
provisions of the seventh section of the forty-seventh 
chapter of the Code of Virginia. 

18. The first county court for said county of Web- 
ster shall be holden on the fourth Tuesday in July 
next. 

19. This act shall be in force from its passage. 
Bernard Mollohan, who was elected surveyor of 

Webster county on the twenty-fourth day of May, 1860, 
proceeded to survey the county lines in conformity 
with the act passed January 10, 1860, providing for the 



98 ■ MoccAsix Tracks 

new county of Webster. He was assisted in the work 
by Milton Hart, purveyor of Eandolph county, Chauncey 
Hooker", deputy surveyor of Nicholas county, and 
William Hutchinson, surveyor of Braxton county. 
AVork was begun on October 2, I860, and completed 
on November 27 of the same year. 

Because of certain peculiar conditions existing in the 
line dividing Greenbrier and Nicholas counties, the 
line of tbe new county could not be made to conform 
with the act of 18G0 without annexing a part of Green- 
brier county, which the act forming Webster county 
did not authorize. This defect was cured by an act of 
the We^=t Virginia legislature in 1882 by annexing 
al)oui thirty square miles of territory under the juris- 
diction of Greenbrier and Nicholas counties to Webster 
county. This line, surveyed by Bernard Mollohan, as- 
sisted by James Woodzell and Isaac AY. Cool, began at 
the mouth of Stroud's creek and extending to near the 
head of Bannock Shoal run, on the divide between the 
Gauley and the Williams rivers. At the time of the 
passage of this act Webster county was represented in 
the legislature hy Charles McDodrill, who was instru- 
mental in securing its enactment. 

The commissioners, Samuel Given, Thomas Cogar, 
William Arthur, Thomas Reynolds and William Given, 
who were named in the act providing for the formation 
of AVebster county to select a site for a court house, 
jail and other public buildings, and to divide the county 
into three magisterial districts, proceeded to the dis- 
charge of the duties imposed upon them. Addison 
IMcLaugblin had transferred his farm at the Fork Lick 
to his son, Duncan, in the meantime. The commis- 



AND Other Imprints. 99 

sioners selected and staked a lot two hundred and ten 
feet square on the hill above the Salt Sulphur spring- 
as a site for the court house and jail. This lot is now 
the public square of Webster county. Henry C. Moore 
surveyed the lot after its selection by the commission- 
ers. The town of Addison was also suirveyed and 
divided into lots by him at about the same time. 

The commissioners divided the county into Fork 
Lick, Glade and Holly magisterial , districts at their 
meeting in the dwelling house of Thomas Cogar in 
1860. Hacker Valley did not become a district until 
1877, at which time Holly district was divided by the 
county court. 

The following county officers were elected on the 
fourth Thursday in May, 1860: Sheriff, Walter Cool, 
of Holly district; clerk of the County Court, and also 
clerk of the Circuit Court, Albert J. Baughman, of 
Glade district; commissioner of revenue, Thomas 
Cogar, of. Fork Lick district ; surveyor of lands, Bernard 
Mollohan, of Fork Lick district, and attorney for the 
Commonwealth, David Lilly, of Eandolph county. The 
following justices of the peace were also elected : Fork 
Lick district, William G. Gregory, Adam G. Hamrick, 
Ezra B. Clifton and David Baughman ; Glade district, 
Edward Morton, Arthur Hickman, Thomas M. Eeynolds 
and Enos Weese ; Holly district, William H. Mollohan, 
A. G. J. Burns, Christopher C. Cogar and Ezra Clifton. 
Thomas M. Eeynolds was elected presiding justice of 
the county court by the other justices at their first 
meeting. 

Xot having suitable buildings on the newly selected 
lot in which to hold court and for the transaction of 



100 Moccasin Tracks 

other public business, the justices held their first term 
of court at Thomas Cogar's, near where James AVood- 
zell now resides. A dwelling house in the process of 
erection owned by Elijah Skidmore was selected by the 
justices in which to hold court. This building stood 
near the residence of the late C. P. Dorr. In 1866, 
after Webster county' owed allegiance to the State of 
AVest A^irginia instead of the Commonwealth of A^ir- 
ginia, the board of supervisors entered into a contract 
with Bernard Mollohan for the sum of seventeen hun- 
dred dollars, providing for the erection of a frame 
building on the public square to serve as a court house. 
That building continued to be used for such purposes 
until it was destroyed by fire on the seventeenth day of 
June, 1888. The board of supervisors employed Patrick 
Carr to build a jail. 

In 1863 the legislature of the state of West A'irginia 
passed an act providing for the divisions of the several 
counties into townships and named three men in each 
county to perform the work. William G. Hamrick, 
Isaac H. Grifhn and William G. Gregory were ap- 
pointed for Webster county. The two first named were 
soldiers in the Federal army at that time and no meet- 
ing of the committee was ever held. 

The number and boundary of the townships remained 
the same as that of the magisterial districts, under the 
Virginia laws, formed hy the four commissioners in 
1860. 

The constitution of 1872 again changed the }iame 
of the local unit to magisterial district. 

The Civil War heo-an soon after the new county was 
surveyed and it was not fully organized until after its 



AND Other Imprints. 101 

close. At the time of its formation there was not a 
very numerous population, but there were a brave and 
hardy set of men who had known and had braved 
hardships and privations. They were, for the most 
part, the first and the second generations born in the 
territory settled l)y the old pioneers. The moccasin 
and the hunting shirt had been discarded by many, 
and they did not rely wholly upon the loom and the 
spinning- wheel for their clothing. It was at this time 
that Webster county received the sobriquet of "Inde- 
pendent State", an appellation often used by political 
speakers of today. It was said that Webster county had 
a full complement of state officers, with George M. 
Sawyers at the head with the title of governor. Mr. 
Sawyers was addressed as "Governor" until his death, 
which occurred on the Williams river about fifteen 
years ago. This is a very pretty story, but there is not 
a scintilla of evidence upon which to base the asser- 
tion. It is true that all governmental functions were 
suspended during the four years of the Civil War. 
Neither taxes were collected nor courts held. 

While it is true that Webster county was an integral 
part of both the Eeorganized Government of Virginia, 
with its capital at Wheeling, and the Confederate State 
Government at Eichmond, the functions of government 
of neither invaded her precincts. A law enacted by the 
West Virginia legislature in 1863 provided for the 
transfer of all suits of law and equity from Webster to 
Lewis county. 

But one election was held in Webster county during 
the Civil War period, and but one officer was elected. 
Moreover, polls were opened at but one precinct. Wil- 



102 MoccAsix Tracks 

liain Gregory, at that time, lived at the mouth of 
Leatherwoocl, and the election was held in his residence 
in 1863. 

At this election Benoni Grifhn was elected a memher 
of the house of delegates for the fourth delegate dis- 
trict, composed of the counties of AYebster and Poca- 
hontas. But few citizens, besides a number of Federal 
soldiers, cast their votes. Many of the voters did not 
know that an election was being held. The following 
persons exited: Wiljliam G. Hamrick, William Mc- 
Avoy, Addison Fisher, James Green, James M. Cogar, 
xVddison Dodrill, Benjamin Hamrick, William G. Greg- 
ory and James Woodzell. 

The second general election held in the county of 
Webster occurred on the fourth Thursday of October, 
1865. 

The following county officers were elected : Sheriff. 
William G. Gregory ; Prosecuting Attorney, David Lilly; 
Surveyor of Lands, Bernard Mollohan : Eecorder, Joseph 
Dodrill; Assessor, Arthur Hamrick: Clerk of Circuit 
Court, Isaac Mynes. Lilly and Mjnes could not prove 
their loyalty to the Union from 1861 to 1865, there- 
fore they were iueligible. Eobert Irwine. Judge of the 
Circuit Court, appointed Eobert G. Putman to fill the 
place of Lilly and Adam Gregory that of Mynes. 

The following were elected as Supervisor for each 
of the three townships: Fork Lick, James Hamrick; 
Glade, Thonlas Eeynolds; Holly, John E. Hall. Eey- 
nolds was elected president of the Board of Super- 
visors at their first meeting. 

The human mind can scarcely depict the chaotic 
condition existing in Webster county at the close of the 



AND Other iMrmxTS. 103 

Civil War. -The firing on Fort Sumter in 1861 stirred 
the hearts of the people among the mountains ol' Web- 
ster no less than in more populous communities, either 
jSTorth Or South. An overwhelming majority of the 
people was in sympath}' with the South and scores of 
the best citizens hastened away to join the armies of 
the Southern Confederacy. Many deeds of heroism 
were performed by these ^'border boys'', as they were 
called by their comrades in arms from the Southern 
states. Many gladly gave their lives for tlie cause they 
so dearly loved. A very few, not more tlian twenty, 
volunteered under the Stars and Stripes, and the l)oys 
who wore the Blue distinguished themselves no less than 
their neighbors who wore the Gray. No battles were 
fought in the county, but many shooting affrays occurred 
between irregular bands of partisans, which were not 
always bloodless. Many refugee outlaws from other 
counties found a safe retreat in the mountains and ter- 
rorized the citizens with deeds of lawlessness. Many 
innocent men were taken from their homes and sliot 
for no other reason than giving aid to the cause which 
they believed to be just and right. Houses were plun- 
dered and burned and women and children left to 
shiver in the cold. Fences and farm buildings were 
destroyed. The farms became overgrown with briers 
and bushes. Eefugees, soldiers, and camp followers 
from the counties adjacent to the Ohio river went to 
the land of Dixie by way of the Gauley and Straight 
creek. This old war trail is yet visible where it was 
cut to a depth of two or three feet by the many horses 
that were taken across the mountain. General William 
Jackson ("Mudwall") transported a small cannon (a 



104 MoccASix Teacks 

two pounder) on horseback by this route when he ad- 
vanced against Bulltown, in Braxton county. 

But the spring of 1865 brought a sigh of relief to 
the people of "Webster county, as well as to other war- 
oppressed communities. Xow. that the dove of peace 
had spread her wings over a devastated and wasted 
land, men began the work of regeneration and recon- 
struction. 



XI. EDUCATION. 

The material for writing the early history of edu- 
cation in the territory now embraced Avithin the limits 
of Webster county is very meager. The master who 
ruled with the ferule and the rod left no journal of his 
successes or his failures. This lack of written infor- 
mation must be supplied from the memory of the 
oldest inhabitants. But, most unfortunately, the col- 
lection of this data has been so long delayed that but 
few persons are now living who know anything about 
the first schools organized. It is not known that any 
schools were taught in this county before 1835. The 
first school house, of which I have any knowledge, was 
erected by two brothers, AYilliam and Benjamin Ham- 
rick, and James Dodrill, on the Elk nearly opposite 
the mouth of Wolf Pen run, six miles above Webster 
Springs. These three men employed William Griffin 
to teach three months, for which he was to receive 
thirty dollars and board. Spelling, reading, writing 
and arithmetic were the branches taught. The Bible 
was the text used in the reading classes. The older 
pupils had been taught spelling and reading by their 
parents. In arithmetic, if the single rule of three 
(now called simple proportion), was understood, it was 
thouglit that the person possessing the knowledge was 
competent to teach school. Frank Duffy taught the 
second school in the Hamrick school house. He was 
born and educated in Ireland. He was considered 
a most excellent teacher. His presence in a community 
opened up a new world to the people who listened to 
his wonderful stories about the sea and the European 



106 Moccasin Tracks 

countries. He was well versed in ancient history, and 
entertained his auditors with Grecian and lloman 
mythological legends and historical stories. 

The school building was of the most primitive kind. 
The walls, which were about eight feet high, were made 
of round logs and the building was covered with clap- 
hoards held in place with heavy poles. Although tim- 
ber was plentiful, it was thought unnecessary to build 
it larger than twelve by fourteen feet, and no floor 
other than nature had provided was put in it. The 
spaces between the logs were chinked with pieces of 
split timber and daubed with mud. The door, a heavy 
affair, was constructed out of boards and hung on 
v.'ooden hinges. The seats were made by splitting a 
small log and putting legs in auger holes on the rounded 
sides. The chimney was a huge affair, built of split 
logs, and the inside walled up with stones and clay. 
A log cut out and the space covered with greased paper 
served for a window. A wide slab resting on wooden 
pins inserted in the wall in a sloping direction answered 
the purpose of a writing desk. Goosq quill pens were 
used, made by the teacher. 

Tn this building fourteen pupils were taught the 
first term. This was the only schooling some of them 
ever received, but they made such good use of that op- 
portunity that they made very good readers, and they 
could spell especially well. In the early days the 
discipline was most rigid, and the offender was flogged 
most unmercifully for the least infraction of the writ- 
ten rules, read by the teacher on the first morning of 
school. The teacher acted in harmonv with the views 



AND Other Impeints. 107 

of Solomon^ that by sparing the rod there is danger 
of spoiling the child. 

Schools were soon opened in other neighborhoods 
and among the pioneer teachers may be mentioned the 
following: William Ivain, William and Samnel Given, 
Israel Clifton, Jonathan Griffin, Joseph Woods and 
Timothy Holcomb. One of the peculiar features of 
the schools in this county in the days of the moccasin 
and the hunting shirt was that the teacher sometimes 
allowed the pupils to vote on the question of an "open"'^ 
or "closed" school. If the majority voted for an open 
school, each pupil must spell and read aloud while 
studying his lesson. This practice was kept up by 
some old-time teachers as late as 1869. These subscrip- 
tion schools taught by the old-time masters paved the 
way for better ones, but progress was made slowly. 

No money was drawn from the Literary Fund, for 
the children of indigent parents, established by the 
General Assembly of Virginia in 1809. I^icholas 
county, of which a portion of Webster county was a 
part, had, in 1833, eighteen primary schools, in which 
ninety-nine poor children received instruction at a cost 
of one hundred and eighty dollars. Even in neighl^or- 
hoods where benefits were obtainable from this fund 
many poor children were denied the privilege because 
their parents did not wish them to bear the opprobrium 
of being educated at public expense. No schools were 
organized under the act of 1846, which practically gave 
to Virginia her first system of free schools. 

During the decade between 1846 and 1856 many per- 
sons who had received a very good education beyond 
the mountains, and in Greenbrier county, moved into 



108 MoccAsix Tracks 

the Elk valley and the Glade country. They greatl}?}, 
aided in the establishment of schools in neighborhoods 
in which they settled. The old-time teachers weret 
usually deficient in educational qualifications, yet they} 
did a noble work and prepared the way for the intro- 
duction of the free school system of the state of Westt 
\"irginia. They and the Methodist circuit riders weree 
the advance agents of civilization that was to be in- 
troduced among the hills and valleys of AVebster county. 
The boys and the girls who were disciplined and taughtt 
in those primitive schools became the first teachers 
under the new system. Other men educated in that 
class of schools became justices of the peace, county 
officials, legislators 'and ministers of the gospel. 

On account of the disorganized condition of the ' 
county, brought about by the Civil War, the free school 
system Avas not carried into effect until 186T. James 
Dyer was the first county superintendent of free schools 
for the county. The acts of 1863 provided for the 
election of a Township Board of Education, to have 
full charge of all school matters pertaining to the town- 
ship. Legislative acts of 1866 provided for the election 
of three trustees in each sub-district by the patrons 
thereof. The auditor's report of 1867 shows that the 
levy for school buildings in Webster county was $294.91. 
The report of William Eyland White, State Superin- 
tendent of Eree Schools, for the same year showed 
that the county had 11 school districts: four log school 
houses and received from the state four hundred and 
seventy-five dollars: salary of county superintendent, 
fifty dollars : children of school age, males, three hun- 
dred and forty-four, and females, two hundred and 



AND Otfier Imprints. 109 

ninety-six. The auditor's report for 1868 shows that 
the county received from the state seven hundred and 
sixty-six dollars and ten cents; paid in teachers' sal- 
aries, one hundred and sixtn^-five dollars; levy for 
buildings, five hundred and eighty-six dollars and 
eighty-two cents. 

The following are extracts taken from the report of 
tlie State Superintendent in 1868 : Entire expenses 
for school houses and school purposes, three hundred 
and forty-eight dollars and eighty cents; cost of edu- 
cation for each pupil for school year, four hundred and 
sixty dollars; number of school districts, eleven; log 
l)uildings, three; number of houses built that year, 
three; number of youths between six and twenty-one, 
uiales, three hundred thirty-one; females, three hun- 
(\n-d and three; total, six hundred and thirty-four; 
nviinber of pupils attending school, males, forty-four; 
females, seventeen; total, sixty-one; daily attendance, 
miale, twentj\^-f our ; female, five; total, twenty-nine; 
number of teachers employed, male, three ; female, one ; 
total, four; average monthly salary, twenty-seven dol- 
lars ; average number of months taught, three ; number 
of visits by county superintendent, four; number of 
ai)plieations for certificates, six; number of certificates 
granted, two. 

County Superintendent's Report of 1869: 

'^I did hope when 1 made my report twelve months 
since, that I would have a much more favorable report 
than it is possible for me to make at this time. 

When the commissioners and trustees believed that 
they were to receive pay for their services they were 



110 Moccasin Tracks 

soniewliat interested^ but when they learned that they 
were to receive nothing, their zeal, if they ever had any,, 
abated to a fearful and distressing extent. 

I have traveled all over the county, and have gone to 
nearly every house, and I have talked a great deal and I 
tried to impress on the minds of the people the great: 
importance of a liberal education. I have made an 
effort to get the officers to go to work in good earnogt,, 
but they have failed to do their duty, except very few. 
It is a lamentable fact that there is not the interest 
taken and felt on this momentous subject that should be. 

Townships. 

This county is divided into three townships, Fork 
Lick, Glades and Holly. Each has a Board of Educa- 
tion, but Trustees are needed in some districts. Fork 
Lick is divided into four districts, and has two free 
schools and three subscription schools. District num- 
ber two has a free school. I visited it four tinies. I 
did not find it all that I desired, and I did all that I 
could to correct what I believed to be wrong, and the 
school Avas respectable. District Xo. 3 has one free 
school. I visited it twice and found it doing well. 
The teacher is well qualified for his occupation, and 
was industrious and very attentive. The scholars were 
very studious and made proficiency. There is prospect 
of a free school in District Xo. 4 shortly. 

Glades township is divided into four school districts 
and the Board of Education has made a levy of twenty 
cents on the one hundred dollars valuation for the 
support of free schools. There will no doubt be one 
free school commencinc]^ in a short time, and there is a 



AND Other Imprints. Ill 

probability of other schools in this township. There are 
four subscription schools. 

Holly has been divided into four school districts and 
a levy of ten cents for the schools. The Board say 
they will have public schools in a short time. Two 
subscription schools have been taught in the township. 
There is a general complaint in the county of high taxes 
and hard times. Well, it is true that many people in 
this county are in a distressing condition, and can with 
difficulty pay their taxes, but notwithstanding all this, 
if the Boards of Education and the Trustees will do 
their duty, something could be done for the education 
of the rising generation. I have, it seems to me, done 
almost every thing that I could do, to get up free 
schools all over the county, but have accomplished but 
little as yet. All that I can promise is to do the best 
I can in the future". 

James Dyer, 
County Superintendent. 

The following comment upon the above report is from 
Honorable William Eyland White, State Superintendent : 

"During my visits to this county, I could see the deso- 
lation that the recent war had made. Marauding 
parties, claiming to belong to either side as circum- 
stances suggested, plundered the inhabitants, and drove 
off their stock and burned their houses. The resources 
for renewing what was lost are few, and it will take a 
longer time for the people to get back to their former 
condition, than is required in less isolated sections. 
Yet the diffusion of knowledge is just what they need. 



112 Moccasin Tracks 

Their many hills would become the pasture grounds f»t' 
immense herds, so well adopted is the soil for grass, and 
their giant trees, sooner or later, must supply the in- 
creasing demand for lumber. Educated labor must de- 
velop "Webster county, for nothing else will". 



General Superintendent. 

It will be seen by Superintendent Dyer's report that 
he had made a former report; no trace of it. however, 
can be found. It possibly consisted of a mere letter, 
as no free schools were in operation in 1867. 

Webster County Statistics. 
From State Superintendent's Report of 1869. 

Money received from state, six hundred twenty-one 
dollars and thirty-two cents; salaries of teachers, five 
hundred and seventeen dollars; salary of county super- 
intendent, fifty dollars ; money levied for buildings, 
eight3^Tthree dollars and seventy-three cents; expended 
for buildings, one Jmndred and twenty-five dollars : log 
school houses built, one; houses under construction, 
five ; value of school houses, two hundred and fifty 
dollars ; number of youths, male, two hundred and 
seventy-six, females^ two hundred and sixty-six; en- 
rollment, males, two hundred and fifty-nine, females, 
one hundred eighty; average attendance, males, one 
hundred fifty, females, sixty -nine ; number of seliool 
districts, ten ; number of common schools, thirteen : 
number of second grade teachers, three; third grade, 
four : fourth grade, one ; fifth grade, two ; numljer of 
applications for certificates, fifteen; number of certifi- 



AXD Other Impkints. 113 

eates granted, ten; number of teachers, ten^ all men; 
number of months taught, twenty-three and one-half; 
number of pupils studying orthography, one hundred 
and eighty-one; reading, one hundred and eighty-one; 
writing, sixty-nine; arithmetic, thirty-two; geography, 
one; English grammar, six; algebra, one; other 
branches, eleven; salaries of teachers, twenty-two dol- 
lars; clerks, three; commissioners, nine; trustees, 
thirty-three; levy for building purposes, forty cents; 
for teachers' fund, twenty cents; amount collected for 
teachers' fund, one hundred and eighty-seven dollars 
and ninety-four cents. 

County Superintendent's Report, 
of 1869. 

''Hon. H. A. G. Zeigler. 

State Superintendent of Free Schools : 

Dear Sir: — I have found great difficulty in procuring 
reports from the various townships, in consequence of 
the imperfections in the blanks for teachers. 1 have 
labored very assiduously to correct this deiiciency. The 
blanks for teachers should have, 1st Date of Entrance; 
2nd Daily iVttendance ; 3d Age ; 4th A column to record 
the branches taught. This would enable the county 
superintendent to present to you a correct idea of the 
progress of educatioii and intellectual development. 
You could then measure development with expenditure, 
and see how much is returned to parents and guardians 
in the form of education. 

The Boards of Education of this county are deficient 
in duty ; the trustees in many cases are no better ; there- 
fore this report is very meager and unsatisfactory. T 



11^ Moccasin Tilicks 

indulge the kope, however, that Webster will in a short 
time^ strive to realize the fall measure of the benefits 
of our school system. 

From observation and experience, I would recommend 
the abolition of the count v board of education, retain 
}'Our county superintendent, and have a board of three 
trustees for each school district. This would, with im- 
proved blanks for teachers, simplify the work and give 
a full statistical report. The board of education fail- 
ing to report the various branches taught renders it 
impossible for me to give you the number in the county. 

School Houses. 

In Fork Lick Township, we are building six school 
houses, one of them, logs, finished, another will be fin- 
ished this month ; the balance will be completed the 
ensuing winter; two of these houses are framed, and 
there are others that will be let out soon. 

In Glade Township no levy for building. None in 
either of the other townships of this county. AYe have 
obtained sites in Fork Lick township gratuitously 
throughout. James Dyer, 

County Superintendent, Webster County." 

^'P. S. The Fork Lick township is deficient nearly 
one-half of its levy, growing out of the large tracts of 
land owned by non-residents of the county, but returns 
have been made for this township. The other town- 
ships liave made no returns. 

James Dyer.'" 

Names of applicants and grades of certificates : 
Second grade. James Woodzell, Thomas P. Coulter 



AND Other Imprints. 115 

and B. C. Conrad. Third grade, Wni. P. Morton, J. 
H. Hardway, Francis G. Morton and W. M. Hayman. 
Fourth grade, A. W. Miller. Fifth grade, E. Brooks 
and E. Clifton. 

From these reports and statistics, it will be learned 
that free school prospects were not very flattering in 
Webster county in 1868 and 1869. There was a deep- 
seated opposition to the organization of the system by 
some very good citizens. The cause is not hard to dis- 
cover. People were slow to endorse any innovation, and 
more especially, if it cost money. The late war had 
impoverished the people, and money or its equivalent 
was not readily obtained. If men of today vote against 
the free school levy, it is little wonder that men were 
against it fifty years ago. The county was sparsely 
settled. Isolated families could not attend school and 
the district did not have funds sufficient to build addi- 
tional houses. It would be but natural for such persons 
to oppose being taxed to educate other children and 
their own grow up in ignorance. The teachers were 
not well equipped for their work, and they did not re- 
ceive sufficient wages to arouse much enthusiasm. In 
some of the districts abandoned dwelling houses were 
used for school purposes, or a part of a house was used 
while the family occupied the other. 

But a better day dawned about 1880. The log houses 
were replaced by frame buildings, and painted school 
houses were seen in many localities;. Opposition passed 
away when these better conditions appeared. Higher 
salaries and prompt payment attracted better equipped 
teachers. School terms lengthened from two and three 
mouths to four and five months in the various districts. 



116 Moccasin Tracks 

The inevitable result followed — a tgreat .educational 
awakening and a larger number of pupils enrolled in 
the schools. 

Even as late as 1880, Webster county was isolated 
both commercially and educationally from her sister 
counties. Dry goods, groceries and hardware were 
transported by wagon from Weston and Gauley Bridge, 
a distance of more than sixty miles. No one talked 
much about education to persons living outside of the 
county, except for a week each year, when the teachers^ 
institute for the county was in session at Webster- 
Springs. 

When a Webster boy became of marriageable age, he 
did not select a wife because of her educational attain- 
ments, or because she was a good cook, or a neat and tidy 
housekeeper, but because she was a good "sanger'^ A 
young man living in one of the prominent valleys "l^^ 
the county, took unto himself a better half. The next 
day a neighbor met the father and said, "John, 1 heard 
Sam was married yesterday". ''Yes,'' said the father, 
"Sam is married^'. "'Did he get a good wife?'^ queried 
the neighbor. "Well, I should say", replied the father, 
"Polly is the best Sanger that ever ^sot' a foot in the 
woods." 

But in 1889 a history making event occurred. The 
whistle of a railroad locomotive was heard in Webster 
county. Its reverberations among the hills sounded the 
death knell of the sang digger and the log school house. 
AVebster county was now bound by bands of steel to her 
progressive sister counties of the northern part of the 
state.' Men came from these counties and brought their 
educational ideas with them. The school term leno:th- 



AXD Other Imprints. , 117 

ened from five months to six months. Schools were 
graded and two-room buildings were erected at Erbacon, 
Camden-on-Gaule}', Wainville, and Cowen. Gauley 
Mills later joined the ranks of the five towns in erecting 
a two-room building. Higher education was scarcely 
thought of twenty years ago. If the boys- and girls 
were kept in the primary schools until sixteen years old, 
much was thought to have been accomplished. Now, 
there are Pligh Schools at Cowen and Webster Springs. 
Both schools are receiving a liberal patronage. Today 
the schools of the county are in good w^orking order 
and the prospects for even better conditions are very 
flattering. Webster Springs employs five teachers in 
the grades, and Cowen three. 

The following items are taken from Superintendent 
George R. Morton's report of 1914: i^umber of school 
houses, one hundred and one; number o£ teachers em- 
ployed, males, sixty-two, females, sixty, total, one hun- 
dred and twenty- two; number of youths of school age, 
three thousand six hundred and thirty-seven; number 
of pupils enrolled, males, one thousand four hundred 
and forty-four ; females, one thousand three hundred and 
fifty, total, two thousand seven hundred and ninety- 
four; average daily attendance, two thousand one hun- 
dred and twelve; average salary of teachers in rural 
schools, thirty-six dollars and thirty-three cents; total 
expended for school purposes, thirty-eight thousand five 
ihimdred and fifty-five dollars and twenty-four cents; 
total value of school property, one hundred and seven 
thousand two hundred and fifty-four dollars. Number 
of books in libraries, three thousand six hundred and 
twentv-five, valued at one thousand five hundred and 



118 Moccasin Tracks 

fifty dollars; cost of education per capita based on 
enumeration, ten dollars and twenty-seven cents; based 
on enrollment, eleven dollars and twenty-six cents; 
based on attendance, twenty dollars and one cent. 

A comparison of Dyer's last report with Mr. Mor- 
ton's report will show the great educational advance- 
ment that has been made since the establishment of the 
free school system in Webster county. 



XII. THE CARPENTER FAMILY. 

Jerry and Benjamin Carpenter settled on the Elk in 
the vicinity of the mouth of Holly early in the history 
of the valley. They were brothers and it is thought 
that they came from the Greenbrier valley. Jerry had 
been carried into the region beyond the Ohioi by the 
Indians when a small boy. He remained with them 
until man grown before returning to civilized life. He 
settled on what was afterwards known as the J'ohn P. 
Hosey farm and Benjamin, his brother^ erected a cabin 
at the place now occupied by the little town of Palmer. 

A man by the name of O'Brien blazed a trail from 
the Ohio by way of the Trace fork of Steer creek to 
the mouth of Holly. It is not now known at what 
point he settled, but he marked the way because he did 
not know woodcraft well enough to travel without 
some other guide besides what nature had provided. 
The Carpenters having spent most of their lives in the 
^v'oods could travel for days in any given direction 
without either compass or marks made on trees with an 
axe or hunting-knife. When they could not see the 
sun, they traveled in the proper direction by frequent 
examinations of the moss on the tree trunks near the 
ground. White men learned from the Indians that 
the moss grew in the greatest profusion on the side 
facing the north. It appears that the Indians did not 
know of the Elk settlement until they found the O'Brien 
trail and folloAved it eastward. They came to the house 
of Benjamin Carpenter and finding his wife and small 
chikl at home both were tomahawked and scalped. 
The husband was down under the bank of the river 



120 Moccasin Tracks 

graining a deer skin. He was soon found and shot at 
by one of the four Indians in the marauding party, 
but the bullet flew wide of its intended mark. Car- 
penter ran to the house for his gun. He reached the 
door and was in the act of getting his rifle from its 
rack above the door when he was killed by one of the 
party concealed in the house by a bullet from his own 
gun^ which the Indian had obtained when the cabin 
was entered. K'ancy, a sister of the brothers, was taken 
prisoner and the party soon began their homewarc'i 
journey after the cabin had been set on fire. 

Some days before the Indians made their appearance- 
Jerry went to Fork Lick for the purpose of hunting 
bufl'aloes. He killed one and jerked a quantity of the 
meat. Building a rude boat, using the skin for the 
purpose, he arrived at the mouth of Holly a short time 
after the redskins had left. The cabin was still Inirn- 
ing and he was horrified to see his sister-in-law, who 
had been scalped and left for dead, walking in the yard 
in front of the burning cabin. She was tenderly taken 
in his strong arms a;id carried to the boat, but she died 
before the opposite bank was reached. Carpenter pre- 
pared to follow the Indians and rescue his sister. He 
was joined in the pursuit by a man by the name of 
Hughes, a. noted frontier warrior, and another man 
wliose name is unknown. They had no difficulty in 
taking up the trail and pursuing at a rapid pace. The 
Indians traveled with leisure because they probably 
thought that they would not be followed. They were 
overtaken on Steer creek and completely surprised by a 
well planned method of attack. Carpenter had told his 



AND Other Impeixts. . 121 

companions that the first act of the savages^ when they 
were attacked, would be to kill their prisoner. The at- 
tack was stealthily made and three of the Indians fell 
before the unerring aim of the frontier riflemen. The 
fourth Indian before the reverberations of the rifle re- 
ports had died away threw a tomahawk at the captive 
woman, but she dodged the well-directed ])low. Snatch- 
ing up another tomahawk he started in pursuit of the 
fleeing woman, but Hughes like an infuriated wild beast 
sprang after him and buried his hatchet in his head 
before he got in striking distance. The Indians were 
not scalped, but Carpenter cut a strip of skin about 
three inches wide and two feet long from the back of 
one of them, beginning at the base of the skull and in- 
cluding a tuft of hair. This strip was afterwards 
tanned and used by him for a razor-strop. It became 
an heir-loom in the Carpenter family. It was in the 
possession of John L. Carpenter at the time of the 
Civil War. William Perrine carried it off, and, when 
he was captured by Federal soldiers that gruesome relic 
of the days of barbarity and savagery was taken away 
from him, but what disposition was made of it is not 
known. 

When Carpenter returned home, he was informed that 
another party of Indians were still on the east side of 
the Ohio. He took his wife and a scanty supply of 
necessary articles with him and went up Laurel creek 
to the mouth of a small run. Here he found a safe 
retreat under a large, projecting rock. His oldest son, 
Solomon, was born the first night spent in that strange 
habitation. This was most , probably the first white 



122 Moccasin Tracks 

child born in what is now Webster county. The stream 
was called Camp run and still bears that name. It is 
not known when the Carpenter family was murdered 
but it was some years before Dunmore's war^ whitli 
occurred in 1774. 

They settled in the Elk valley soon after the treaty 
of Fort Stanwix in western New York in 1768, which 
opened up the region west* of the mountains to settle- 
ment. 

John L., a son of Sol Carpenter, married Xancy 
Perrine. They settled at the mouth of Missouri run 
where the town of Erbacon is now situated. He Ije- 
came the father of the following children: Dianah, 
Joseph, Agnes Jane, William Hamilton, Amos, Mary 
Catherine and Estelline. John L. was an herb doctor 
of splendid ability. He compounded his own medicine 
from plants and roots obtained by himself in the woods. 
He had a good farm and was an exemplary man, a 
model farmer, and a law-abiding citizen. 

MURDER OF THE STROUD FAMILY. 

Adam Stroud, a Clerman, lived on Stroud's creek 
aliout one mile from its junction with the Gaulcy at 
Allingdale. He settled there soon after the treaty with 
the Indians in 1768. One day in the month of June, 
1772, when he was away from home, a party of Indians 
of the Shawnee tril^e murdered his entire family con- 
sisting of his w^ife and seven children. They also 
plundered his house and drove off his cattle. 

Captain Bull, a Delaware chief, and some other In- 
dians resided at Bulltown in what is now Braxton 



AND Other Imprints. 123 

county. His original home was on the Unadilla river, 
an eastern affluent of the Susquehanna river in >s'e\v 
York. He was accused of plotting against the whites in 
Pontiac's conspiracy in 1763. He and five families of 
his relations came to the Little Kanawha after their 
'New York homes had heen burned by the whites and 
lived in a little village located near a salt spring. 
Although it was known that Bull and his people were 
inoffensive, and very friendly to the whites, and kept 
np an intercourse with the settlers on Hacker's creek 
and the Buckhannon river, suspicion at once fell on 
these Indians because the trail led in the direction of 
Bulltown, as the whites called the Indian village. A 
party of five men consisting of William AMiite, William 
Hacker, Jesse Hughes, John Cutright, and possibly 
Adam Stroud, determined to proceed to Bulltown and 
avenge the murder of the woman and children. It was 
not known for many years just what occurred when they 
reached the Indian village. When they returned, they 
denied having seen an Indian in their absence. John 
Cutright died in 1852, when he had reached the age 
of one hundred and five years. On his death-bed, he 
told of the killing of all the Indians found in the 
village. Their bodies were thrown into the river. The 
massacre was as atrocious and revolting as any that had 
preceded or followed it in border warfare. The real 
perpetrators of the Stroud murder escaped to their 
homes beyond the Ohio without detection. These two 
acts on the jjart of the Indians and the Avhites had a 
direct bearing on Dunmore's war, which began in 1774, 
and resulted in a decisive defeat of the Indians by the 
Virginians in the autumn of that year. 



1-24 MoccAsix Tracks 

Jesse Hughes was most probably the man who brained 
the Indian with his hatchet at the rescue of Nancy 
Carpenter on Steer creek a few years previous to the 
murder of tlie Stroud family. "He was a noted 
border scout^ but a man of fierce, unbridled passions^ 
and so confirmed an Indian hater that no tribesman, 
however peaceful his record, was safe in his presence/' 
says K. G. Thwaites, a western historian. Some of the 
most cruel acts on the frontier are by tradition at- 
tributed to him. He died in Jackson county at an ex- 
treme age. 

The murder of the Stroud family occurred on the last 
Indian incursion ever made into the limits of Web- 
ster county. Some Indians passed through, but they 
usually avoided the settlements, because they feared the 
whites almost as much as the whites feared them. They 
saw the chances of escape diminish as the number of 
settlers increased. It was a long road that led from 
We]3ster county to safety in the wilderness beyond the 
Ohio river. 



XIII. RELIGION IN PIONEER DAYS. 

The fact tlia^ persons who spend a large portion of 
their time in the forest are more devout and more 
deeply imbued with a religious feeling than those who 
spend their time in towns or more populous com- 
munities, is undeniable. They have daily ocular proof 
of the supreme power of the Creator as manifested in 
nature. The trees, the birds, the wild flowers, the 
seasons, and the babbling brooks teach them practical 
lessons in theology. This is particularly true of the 
early settlers in Webster county. Many of their 
ancestors had left the Old World because of religious 
persecution and amidst the profound solitude of the 
American wilderness fervent prayers and heart-felt 
thanksgivings were offered for the freedom of religious 
worship in a country where their actions were not 
spied upon by the minions of a bigoted hierarchy. This 
feeling was accentuated in the descendants and a more 
religious people did not exist than were to be found 
among the Webster hills. 

The Methodist circuit riders were the first ministers 
who preached within the bounds of the county. It 
was often many years after an immigrant arrived in his 
new home before he had an opportunity to hear a ser- 
mon preached by a regular minister. Soon after a 
settlement had been established the circuit rider ap- 
peared upon the scene and made arrangements for relig- 
ious services. The neighbors were gathered into the most 
commodious cabin and services were held once a quarter, 
as the Methodists would say, and sometimes oftener. 
depending upon the size of a circuit. A circuit em- 



I'^G MoccAsix Tracks 

braced as much territory as is now contained in three 
or four counties, and often much more. While these 
men did not measure up to the height of a Simpson or 
a McCabe, they were men of spiritual power. What they 
lacked in culture and education was amply compensated 
in zeal and religious fervor. Armed with a pair of 
saddlebags containing a change of linen, a Bible, and 
a hymnbook, they went forth preaching where a few 
families conld be gathered together. Their saddlebags 
also contained religious tracts which were distributed. 
These were eagerly read and passed from one family to 
another until Tead by the entire neighborhood. The 
circuit riders also acted as colporteurs. Such books as 
Baxter's Saints' Eest, Life of John Nelson, Fletcher's 
Sermons, Life of Hester Ann Eogers, Finley's Prison 
Life and John Wesley's Sermons were sold to the peo- 
ple living remote from book stores. This class of books 
exerted a powerful religious influence on the old 
pioneer families. They, in a large measure, molded 
their lives and characters. 

A class was organized at each preaching place and a 
leader appointed. Exhorters and local preachers were 
licensed at the quarterly conference. The leader some- 
tiuies walked five miles to meet his class. What a 
spirit of devotion was manifested in these pioneer class 
leaders I They talked to the class of an experimental 
religion, and of an upright daily walk with Christ. 
The women did not dress in the latest fashion but went 
to meeting, as they called religious services, in home- 
spun dresses usually fastened with leather buttons of 
their own manufacture. The men were not dressed in 
tailor made suits and linen cuifs and collars, but wore 



AND Other Imprints. 127 

hunting shirts and moccasins. If they did not have a 
hunting-shirt they donned a linsey or tow linen shirt 
and wore wide woolen "gallowses" woven or knit by the 
women. These plain, unpretentious garments did not 
in anyway interfere with their religions duties, and 
what mighty shouts of triumphant victory went up 
from the religious gatherings of the old-time pioneer ! 

From a religious standpoint men and women of 
eighty years ago took a very lugubrious view of life. 
Their minds dwelt more on death, the grave, the resur- 
rection of the dead, and the judgment day than upon 
life and its achievements. The minister usually acted 
upon the principle that the fear of eternal punishment 
is a greater incentive to right living than the hope of 
everlasting life, or the conscious pleasure of doing one's 
bounden duty. They often forgot the influence of an 
all-powerful love, one of the basic principles of the 
Christian religion. They sang doleful hymns written 
in the minor key, which is appropriate for grave themes. 
This was a mild form of asceticism practiced by the 
Carmelite friars of the Middle Ages. 

The discipline of the Methodists in those early pioneer 
days was very strict. One who was uot a professor of 
religion was allowed to remain in the class room at but 
two meetings, and, if at the third meeting no disposi- 
tion of a desire to turn from the error of his ways was 
made, he was turned out and the door was closed against 
him. This was a very drastic measure but it often had 
a very salutary effect. A son or a daughter remained 
while the fatlior and the mother waited on the outside 
until the close of the meeting. One or both of the 
parents took part in the meeting and the grown up 



128 Moccasin Tracks 

children were excluded. A separation of husband and 
wife often occurred. It was pathetic to hear an almost 
heart-broken wife beg the indulgence of the leader, and 
allow her impenitent husband to remain just one more 
time. This practice was an object lesson of the separa- 
tion that would occur beyond the realms of this life, if 
the impenitent did not change his way of living. 

The time and place of the first sermon preached 
within the present limits of Webster county is unknown, 
but Addison Hite was the first miiiister to preach in 
the vicinity of Webster Springs. He preached his first 
sermon in 1833 in a barn owned by Benjamin Hamrick, 
who lived on the Elk five miles above the beforemen- 
tioned town. This w^as three years after the original 
organization of the Methodist Protestant Church, and 
eleven years before that of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, South. His circuit embraced what is now a 
part of Webster, Braxton, Lewis, and Upshur counties. 
The many hardships which he and his successors en- 
dured can be inferred from the state of the country at 
that time. Roads in the greater portion of liis cir- 
cuit were but l)lazed trails; deep, swift, bridgeless 
streams were forded amidst floating ice, and, when 
benighted and far from the hospitable roof of a settler's 
cabin, he was under the necessity of passing the night 
under the sheltering branches of a tree. These old- 
time knights of the saddlebags deserve great respect 
and praise for their courageous and heroic efforts to 
plant the standard of Christianity among a wilderness 
people. 

A class was organized by Addison Hite at the Ham- 
rick barn, the first Methodist organization in Webster 



AXD Other liirEixTS. I'^l) 

county. William Gregory was appoiuted leader aud 
Adonijali Harris assistant leader. Mr. Harris lived at 
the McGuire Low Gap near Webster Springs, yet lie 
walked tlie five miles each fSimday to meet his class and 
his presence was made known by the zeal manifested in 
his work. 

The Kev. Mr. Cassett in 1834 preached at the Fork 
Lick, now Webster Springs, in the dwelling house of 
Mrs. Mary Arthur, who was a widow and the only resi- 
dent at that time. The rite of baptism was admin- 
istered. The author's mother, then a little girl oL' 
seven years, was one of the children baptized on that 
day. 

Samuel Black and Elijah A. Bing were the preachers 
in charge in 1835. Black afterwards joined the South- 
ern Methodists and became one of the best known 
preachers and church waiters in that denomination in 
the Western Virginia Conference. The quarterly meet- 
ings at the Hamrick barn attracted large crowds of 
people. They came from places as remote as Sum- 
mersville and Flatwoods. These meetings were pro- 
tracted for a week and resulted in many conversions. 
The hospitality of the people on these occasions was un- 
bounded. Many members of this class attended the 
Methodist camp meetings held annually on Peter's 
creek in Nicholas county. 

The first Southern Methodist minister to preach in 
the limits of Webster county was a man by the name 
of Protsman. He preached in the Hamrick barn soon 
after the division of the Methodist church in 1844. No 
class of that church was organized in the county until 
many years after that event. From these small l)e- 



130 MOCCASTX TlJACKS 

ginnings the two leading Methodist churches of the 
United States have grown nntil they have neat, sub- 
sj'antial church buildings in each town and populous 
community in Webster county. 

The Baptist church was a later organization. Wil- 
liam Dobbins was a resident minister of that denomina- 
tion. He lived at Webster Springs in the years suc- 
ceeding the Civil AYar, and is remembered for many 
Christian virtues. The first Baptist church was or- 
ganized at Webster Springs in 187'?. 

THE DODRILL FAMILY. 

William E. Dodrill, known as ''English Bill;'- mar- 
ried Eoliocca Dougherty in Greenbrier county in 1784, 
and moved to the mouth of the Kanawha. The Indians 
l)eiug hostile, he almost gave away his large tract of 
laud and joined in the eastern movement spoken of in 
a former sketch. He settled on Peter's creek, where he 
remained four or five years. In 1799 he again changed 
his residence to the Birch river valley, settling at Boggs 
in AVebster comity. The original name was Doddridge, 
but a change was made in the orthography before he 
left Greenbrier county. The name, Dodrill, has been 
ado]^ted by all of his descendants. 

""English Bill" was the father of eight children — 
four sons and four- daughters. His s'ons were James, 
John, George and AVilliam. The daughters were 
Martha, Mary, N'ancy, and Rebecca. James, the eldest 
son, married Elizabeth Gregory and located twelve 
miles al)ove the Fork Lick on the Elk. He was the 
father of six sons: Isaac, George, AA^illiam, Eobert, 



AND Other Imprints. 131 

Charles, and Joseph. George married Levicy Given 
and settled about one mile below the mouth of Leather- 
wood. He was an exemplary man and left a reputation 
for honesty and integrity that should be more highly 
prized by his two sons than an inheritance of silver, and 
gold. Isaac married Maria Conrad, but left no sons 
to perpetuate his name. William married Levicy Mil- 
ler and afterwards Mary Hamrick. Eobert married 
Jane Hamrick. Robert was known to the older citizens 
of the county as the distiller of a fine quality of apple 
brandy. Charles married Margaret Given. At the 
time of his death, he was the best known man in Web- 
ster county. He had acceptably filled many important 
offices. His firm stand against the granting of whiskey 
license when he was a member of the county court 
made him very popular with the temperance people. 
His fourth of July orations for many years before his 
death were prominent features in celebrations at Web- 
ster Springs. If he had had the advantages of an edu- 
cation, he would have succeeded in any profession. 
But this was denied him in his youth. By industry and 
frugality he succeeded in winning quite a good living 
from his mountain farm, and each of his four sons was 
left by his will, or was given them before his decease, 
a sufficiency to start them well on the road to prosperity. 
John, the second son, married Margaret Lewis, of 
Greenbrier county, and resided on Birch river in 
Nicholas county. He, also, was the father of six sons: 
William, James Walton, Franklin, Martin, Arthur and 
Addison, William, James and Martin married Sarah, 
Rebecca and Isabel, dauo-hters of William Hamrick, the 



132 MoccAsix Tracks 

noted hunter. Franklin and Arthur married Maria 
and Jane, daughters of Peter Hanirick, of Braxton 
county. Addison married Almira Gregory, a daughter 
of William Gregory, the class leader. William im- 
migrated to the west at the close of the Civil War and 
died in the State of Nebraska. Addison moved to Web- 
ster county and located at the mouth of Bergoo. The 
other four lived near neighbors to each other on Birch 
river, in Nicholas county, until their deaths. Each 
left a large family of boys and girls. They were hard 
working farmers, having moved into the woods and each 
cleared out a large farm. 

When a young man, George, the third son, went west 
to seek his fortune, and located in Pickaway county, 
Ohio. AVilliam, the fourth son, died in his twenty-first 
year. 

Of the daughters it was often said that none were 
fairer, or better dispositioned in the county. Each was 
renowned for her Christian virtues and each made an 
excellent wife. Martha married James Mollohan, of 
Braxton county. Her son Charles was a Methodist 
preacher of much ability. He took an active part in 
the great controversy in regard to slavery in the church, 
which resulted in the division of 1844. It was nuiinly 
through his leadership that many of the classes in Web- 
ster and Braxton counties were held intact. Wesley 
Mollohan, who was the best known, and one of the most 
successful lawyers in West Virginia, was his son. 

Mary married George Mollohan. It was he who en- 
tered the bear cave on the head of Little Birch. His 
brother-in-law, Joshua Stevenson, who married Xnncy, 



AND Other Imprints. 133 

was with him on tliat hunt. Eebecca married Adam 
Gregor}^ of Webster comity, and lived in the vicinity 
of Mill run. 

Addison Dodrill is the only living grandson of Wil- 
liam Dodrill, the old pioneer at this time (1915). By 
what a slender thread this generation is bound to the 
past. He is seventy-six and in a few fleeting years at 
most the last of these grand old characters will have 
crossed over to the world beyond. 



XIV. THE KILLING OF THE TUNINGS. 

The Tuning boys, Al, Ered, and Jack, spent much 
time in AYebster county during the first years of the 
Civil war. They were Southern sympathizers but they 
did not belong to any regular military organization. 
They killed several Union men in AVebster and adjoin- 
ing counties. They were pursued by Federal soldiers 
but always made their escape. The people who believed 
in the sacredness of the cause for which the South was 
contending did not approve of their' conduct but they 
were helpless and the Tunings often stayed for days 
in the homes of this class of citizens, who dared not 
refuse them lodgement and entertainment. 

About the first of March, 1864, Al and Fred went to 
the home of James Dyer on the Gauley. The Federal 
soldiers who were in the county at that time were ap- 
prised of the fact and made preparations to capture 
them. The troops camped at the mouth of Sand run, 
about one and one-half miles below, on the night of the 
third day of March. A company of about thirty men 
was sent very early next morning to the Dyer home. 
The family and the two Tunings were at breakfast when 
it was discovered that the house was surrounded by 
hostile soldiers. In an attempt to escape Al was shot 
in a lot near the house. Fred swam the Beaver run 
and was running up the hill on the other side when hit 
by a ball that had cut off a small sumac. 

Al lived about two hours after being shot. Fred lived 
from Saturday morning until Monday night. They 
were buried near the place where they were killed. Jack 
escaped all attempts made to kill or capture him. After 



AND Other Imprints. 135 

the war he went to Ohio where he gained the affection 
of a rich widow whom he married. She and her money 
soon parted company and Tnning did time at the state 
prison at Cohnnbns. 

THE MtTRDER OF FERRELL. 

One of the most atrocious deeds perpetrated in tlie 
county during the Civil war was the murder of a man 
named Ferrell at the mouth of Straight creek by Dr. 
Hardsock. Mr. Terrell had taken a drove of cattle 
through the mountains within the southern lines and 
had sold them, receiving a large portion of the selling 
price in gold. On his way back, he met with Hardsock, 
who proposed that they travel through the mountains 
together. They arrived at the Gauley late in the even- 
ing of the first day's travel and camped on the bank of 
the river. Sometime in the night while Ferrell was 
wrapped in slumber Hardsock cut his throat with a 
hatchet. Hardsock continued the journey very early 
next morning. When he arrived at the lirst settler's 
cabin, he said that he and a comrade had been attacked 
in the night by the "Yankees" and that he and his 
companion had become separated in the darkness of the 
night. He asked that some one be sent in search of the 
missing man. He seemed to be much agitated and very 
anxious to proceed on his way. But haste was useless 
because his guilty conscience would pursue Ihm to the 
uttermost parts of the earth. The possession of the 
dead man's gold but augmented its excruciating pangs. 
The body was buried near the place where the murder 
was committed. 



136 Moccasin Tkacks 

Hardsock was apprehended by the Confederates and 

was kept under the strictest surveillance. B}- an order 

from the general in command of the troops whose duty 

it was to guard him, he was put under the hottest fire 

of musketry in every battle in which they engaged. His 

companions fell around him but he escaped unharmed. 

He sickened and died of a fever before he could be tried 

by civil authority. Some rude rock slabs and a small 

spruce tree planted by loving hands mark the place 

where Mr. Terrell was buried. He was most truly a 

victim of greed and avarice. 

* * * 

On the divide between the Gauley and the Williams, 
near the head of the Miller Mill run, far from human 
habitation, is a soldier's grave. Elias Grimes, a mem- 
ber of the Ninth Eegiment of Alabama, in company 
with a man named Cutlip. went to Lewis county where 
eacli '^^captured'' a horse. In crossing the mountain 
on their way to Dixie, Grimes dismounted to adjust his 
saddle. After mounting his horse, he caught his musket 
by the muzzle, and the hammer catching against the 
side of the log against which it was leaning, it was dis- 
charged, killing him instantly. The untimely death 
of Grimes so wrought upon the conscience of Cutlip 
that he immediately returned to Lewis and restored the 
horses to tlicir owners. The l)ody of Grimes was buried 
by the citizens where the accident occurred. It is 
])ro])able that Ins Alabama friends never learned his 
sad fate. 

These graves of Ferrell and Grimes are forceful re- 
minders of the stirring days of civil strife and devastat- 
ing rebellion of fifty-four years ago. The hatred and 



^ 



AND Other Imprints. 137 

strife engendered by the war did not cease until very 
recently. Except in a heated political contest there is no 
ill feeling manifested between the parties formed along 
the lines which divided the people a half century ago. 
The wide gulf that separated the people and threatened 
the stability of the nation has been bridged by the 
process of time. 

THE GREGORY FAMILY. 

The Gregory family has always occupied a very prom- 
inent place in the history and development of the Elk 
valley. This family was founded by Colonel Isaac 
Gregory, who, as stated in a former sketch, settled on the 
Gauley in 1800. He married Sarah Given, in Bath 
county, A'irginia. The Gregorys are of fine physique, 
the usual height of the men being six feet in their 
stockings. The Hamricks get their stature by marriages 
in the Gregory family. The Gregorys married into 
nearly all of the old pioneer families, therefore a re- 
petition of tracing the family is unavoidable. The Col- 
onel was the father of nine children — four boys and five 
girls. The boys were William, Robert, Joseph, and 
Adam. The girls were Mary, Isabel, Nancy, Elizabeth 
and Jeanette (Jennie). Adam married Rebecca Dodrill 
and William, the class leader, Rebecca Sands. He was 
known .as ])eing a very devout man, and always lived 
according to the rules of the Methodist church. His 
son Adam was a Methodist preacher and represented 
Webster county in the legislature of the Reorganized 
Government of Virginia in 1862. He went west soon 
after the expiration of his term of office. Joseph mar- 



138 MoccAsix Tracks 

ried Mary Miller and moved to Braxton county where 
he died of smallpox in 1863. Eobert married Elizabeth 
Xottingham, He resided in Webster county, but left 
no son. 

Of the daughters, Mary married George Lynch, who 
moved to the Little Kanawha valley. She was the 
mother of twelve sons who settled in Gilmer, Harrison 
and adjoining counties. Isabel married John Lynch 
and lived on the Elk some miles below the Fork Lick. 
The Colonel was very much opposed to this wedding, 
but love laughs at bolted doors and angry fathers, 
so the lovers had their way and were married. She 
was the proud mother of five sons. Nancy and Jeanette 
(Jennie) married Benjamin and William Hamrick, 
mention of which has been made in the sketch of the 
Hamrick family. Elizabeth married James Dodrill and 
lived below the mouth of Leatherwood. 

Colonel Gregory was possessed of considerable prop- 
erty when he came to this country. He built a large, 
hewed-log house with a cellar under it walled with cut 
stone. He became dissatisfied and moved away before 
the building was fully competed. He spent more than 
five hundred dollars in this venture. The nails used 
were made in a blacksmith shop in Bath county, Vir- 
ginia, and carried across the mountains on horseback. 
He also did his milling over there for several years. His 
house logs and cellar walls were used by Jamfes Dyer 
in building a saw and grist mill near the mouth of 
Beaver run. Colonel Gregory died in 1852, ancl was 
buried in the Gregory cemetery on the Elk five miles 
above Webster Springs. During the fifty-two years in 
which 'he resided within the limits of Webster county, 



AXD Other Imprints. 139 

he saw many farms cleared in the forest and the 
moccasin discarded for the cow-hide shoe or boot aal 
the hunting shirt for the modern coat and vest. He 
was the first distiller of apple brandy in the county. 



XV. GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES. 

The derivation and the meaning of geographical 
names of a country are very interesting to the student 
of history, and more especially if the names refer to 
local places of pioneer times. The Elk was named 
from the abundance of elk found on that stream by the 
Indians. The Gauley was probably named by the 
French, who claimed the territory drained by it, but 
the meaning of the word is unknown. Birch and Holly 
were named from species of trees found near their 
banks when first visited by white men. The origin 
of some of the names of places found in Webster 
county is of quaint derivation. 

Metcalf's Bank, just below the mouth of Leather- 
wood, is well known to the older inhabitants. Metcalf 
was a noted pioneer Methodist preacher sixty-five years 
ago. He was a very graceful rider, and the accom- 
plishment was greatly admired by William Gregory, the 
class leader. Mr. Gregory always rode a very fine horse, 
On a Sunday morning, he and his wife started to meet- 
ing at the Hamrick barn. Getting in front of his 
wife, he rode very fast and in his best style. '^^Ee- 
becca,'' said he to his wife, "of whom do I remind you?" 
His wife replied that she did not remember any one 
who rode just like he did. "Now, Eebecca, watch me, 
and see if I don't ride like Brother Metcalf." He rode 
up the bank, and under the inspiration, he most un- 
doubtedly gave a very good imitation of the preacher's 
horsemanship. The good wife, in order to please her 
husband's harmless vanity, said, "Well, Billy, since you 
mentioned it, vou do remind me verv much of Brother 



• AND Other Impeixts. 141 

Metcalf/' This was thought by neighbors to be a very 
good joke, and so they called the place Metcalf's Bank. 

Baltimore rim, opposite the place where James Miller 
now resides, was named early in pioneer days. One of 
the residents of the upper Elk valley did not take a 
very optimistic view of his environments, and declared 
his intention of moving to Baltimore. He disposed of 
his property and started down the valley. He built a 
small cabin at the mouth of the run and moved into it. 
His neighbors saw the joke and called the place Balti- 
more. The name was afterwards applied to the run. 

Bo] air had its origin early in pioneer history. There 
was a good spring of water on the hill a short distance 
from the present location of Bolair post office. The 
spring is still there, but the water is scarcely fit to 
drink. Travelers and wagoners stopped at the spring 
to get a drink and to rest. The drink referred to was 
taken from a bottle or a jug as well as from the spring. 
In the good old times, a man could take a drink of 
brandy or whisky and still be thought a gentleman, but 
this was before the days of excessive potations. James 
Dyer, senior, who came from Pendleton county, was a 
good singer. He met several men at the spring, and 
after each had taken a dram, he was called upon for 
a song. He sang a song called ''Beau Laire'' that was 
one of his favorites. The spring and the hill were af- 
terwards called Beau Laire. Many years after this, 
when a post office was established at the foot of the 
hill, it was named Bolair. The sound instead of the 
correct spelling was followed. 

The first store in Webster county was at the McGuire 



142 Moccasin Tracks 

Low Gap on the mountain near Fork Lick. It be- 
longed to Byrne, Duffy and Company. This iirm also 
had stores at Sutton, Summersville and other places. 
Groceries, calico, dye stuffs, hand cards for combing 
wool, and a very coarse quality of cotton yarn were 
exchanged for beeswax, ginseng and peltries. Money 
at that time was scarce and it was spent very sparingly. 
The place w^as called "Pluck-'em-in" by persons who 
thought they did not get good bargains at the store. 

This was about 1840. 

* * ♦ 

Stephen Woods settled in Virginia before the'Eevolu- 
tion. Two of his sons, Stephen and Isaac, were killed 
in the Second War of Independence. Stephen, junior, 
at the time of his enlistment lived in Angilsta county. 
His son John, in company with four of his neighbors, 
came to Webster county (then Kanawha county) to dig 
giuseng. They went as far north as Holly. Woods 
was much pleased with the country and moved to this 
county in 1815, settling on Beaver creek, in what is 
now Nicholas county. In 1819 he married Eebecca 
Hannah. His son, William J., was born in 1825, and 
married Jane McElwain in 1851. Two other sons, 
Samuel and Chaney, lived in Webster county in the vi- 
cinity of Cowen. William J. settled in the Glade coun- 
try and was a farmer from choice. He cleared out a 
large farm in the virgin forest, and was the father of a 
larofe family of children. 



THE SAWYERS FAMILY. . 

George M. Sawyers, late in life, came from Alle- 
ghany comity, Virginia, in 1831, and settled near Upper 
Glade. His wife, who was Mary R. Reese before mar- 
riage, died soon after coming to this county and was the 
second person buried in the Samuel Given cemetery. 
George's son Samson married Elizabeth Dyer, clauhg- 
ter of James Dyer, senior, and located on the Gauley 
near the mouth of Sand run. He was a farmer and a 
merchant and died childless in 1866. 

Margaret, a daughter of George Sawyers, married 
James Dyer, the first county superintendent of free 
schools o'f Webster county, and lived on the Gauley at 
the mouth of Beaver run. 

John R., eldest son of the pioneer Sawyers, born in 
1790, married Nancy Johnson in 1820, and came from 
Alleghany in 1833, and settled on the Williams river. 
He was one of the pioneer school teachers. He was a 
shoemaker and was often called upon to make the wed- 
ding shoes for pioneer brides. The last pair" made for 
such an occasion was worn by Mary (Polly) Hamrick, 
who married William Dodrill. 

He was a soldier in the war of 1812, and was the 
lifer of his company. His fife used on that occasion is 
now a treasured relic in the possession of one of liis 
lineal descendants. He was the father of Isaac J., 
George M., Elvira,, Sarah, Isabella, Margaret, Rachel 
and Jeremiah M. 

Isaac was sent to Camp Chase by the Federal author- 
ities. AYhile there he had the measles, and being dis- 
charged before fully recovered started home. He 



14i Moccasin Tracks 

camped 'out several nights, sleeping on the damp 

ground. He died soon after arriving home. 

George M., born in 1822, married Letitia Walker, of 
Nicholas county, and settled on the Williams, where 
he gained the distinction of being one of the best 
hunters in the county. He was elected county clerk of 
Webster county in 1877 for a term of six years. 'The 
Governor,^' as he was familiarly called by his many 
friends, was one of the noted characters of Webster 
county thirty years ago. 

Jeremiah M. was one of the ''boys in blue," and saw 
some desperate fighting as a member of the Tenth West 
Virginia Infantry. He now lives at Horner, Lewis 
county, and is the only one of the family still living. 



XVI. THE McELWAIN FAMILY. 

Tunice Muckelwain (McElwain), born iu 177o, 
came to the Elk valley from Peudleton couuty about • 
1810, and settled on Holly. He had married Catharine 
Propst before coming to the county and was the father 
of ten children. Catharine was born in 1792; George 
in 1793; Barbary in 1795; Mary in 1798; Thomas in 
1800; Dorothea in 1806; Catharine (named after her 
deceased sister) in 1808; Jacob in 1810; Elizabeth in 
181o, :and Nancy in 1815. It can be seen that no 
charge of race suicide can be alleged against this Ger- 
man-American citizen. George married Elizaheth 
Perrine, born in 1798. This marriage occurred in 
1813, and the young couple, full of pluck and vim, 
settled at the mouth of Laurel creek, where they re- 
mained until 1833. They then moved to what is now 
Wainville, and remained there until Mr. McElwain's 
death, which occurred in 1854. He Avas a good farmer 
and left each of his three sons a fine farm adjoining 
each other. He was a noted hunter, but he did not let 
that diversion interfere with his farm work. He be- 
longed to that class of pioneers that did things. They 
subdued the wilderness and fought the Indians and 
the British. They did their full share in the work of 
laying the foundation of sovereign states. George Mc- 
Elwain was a soldier in the War of 1813. He was the 
father of ten children — Nancy, Catharine, Dianah, An- 
drew, Jane, Eachel, Lewis, Elizabeth, George and Je- 
rusha. They married and settled in what is now Web- 
ster county. Nancy married Isaac Weese and moved 
to the right-hand fork of Lost run. She was the mother 



14G MoccAsix Tracks 

of four children — Martha^ Andrew, Addison and Ange- 
line. She died in 1852. 

Catharine married Enos Weese and lived on the left 
hand fork of Lost run. She was the mother of George, 
Lewis, Mack, Wesley, Eeuben, Elizabeth, Virginia, Di- 
anah and Catharine. Mrs. Weese died in 1858 and was 
buried in the MqElwain cemetery near Wainville. 

Dianah married Abraham Goff and settled on Laurel 
creek one mile above Wainville. She became the mother 
of eight children. Their names were Thomas, Mary, 
John, Louisa, George, Albert, Benjamin and Isaac. She 
died in 1884. 

Andrew, born in 182G, married Margaret Sawyers 
in 1850, and moved to the Gauley in 1873. He was 
the father of Thomas S., William D., George S., Lewis 
J., Enos W., Preston M., Kate and Eobert. He was a 
justice of the peace and served as assessor for twelve 
years. Ho died in 1888 and was laid to rest in the old 
Wainville cemetery. His wife died in 1891. 

As stated in a former sketch Jane married AVilliam 
Woods and settled on the head of Birch river. She was 
the mother of eight children and lived until 1908, and 
her husband died in 1914. 

Rachel, born in 1828, married John Given about 
1846, and settled at Upper Glade. They lived there 
until 18G3, where Mr. Given was killed by Federal 
soldiers. She was the mother of three children : Eliz- 
abeth, Fannie and Samuel Kyle. She married Major 
Marshall Triplett in 1865 and raised one son. Hedge- 
man. She is the only one of the family now (1915) 
living. Major Triplett died in 1898. 

Lewis, born in 1832, married Matilda Hickman in 



AND Other Imprints. 147 

1854, and began housekeeping in tlie old McElwain 
homestead near Wainville, then Nicholas county. He 
was the father of eight children — seven daughters and 
one son. They were named Rhoda, Martha, Tunice, 
Catharine, Mary, Jerusha and Ida. The second daugh- 
ter (name unknown) died at the age of five years. He 
took a very active part in the affairs of Webster county. 
He was one of the supervisors in 1871 and J872. He 
was elected a justice of the peace in 1876 and served a 
full term of four years. He was elected a member of 
the County Court in 1880. He was president of that 
body for four years in a term of six years. He died in 
1911 and his wife in 1913. 

Elizabeth, who was born in 1833, married George Ad- 
kinson and moved to Pocahontas county in 1861. Her 
husband joined the Confederate army and marched to 
the front, but she never knew what became of him. 
She afterwards married Jackson Reynolds and was the 
mother of eight children. She died in the state of 
Washington in 1912. 

George, born in 1834, married Sarah Newman, of 
Bedford county, Virginia, in 1868. He lived on a part 
of the McElwain farm a near neighbor of his brother 
Lewis. He was the father of two children and he died 
in 1899. 

Jerusha, born in 1835, married William Hoover in 
1867, and settled on the head of Birch. She was the 
mother of eleven children. She died in 1909. Her 
husband died in 1890 and both were buried on the 
home farm. 

The people in Webster county who can count blood 
relationship with Tunice McElwain forms a good per- 



148 MoccAsix Tracks 

centage of the po23ulation of the county, but his grand- 
children, with the one exception noted above, have 
passed away. A few years hence people will be won- 
dering as to the kind of men who cleared the forests 
and built the log cabins on the frontier. Men like 
Lewis and George McElwain, who Avore the red or 
brown ^'wamas/' with the fringe around the sleeves and 
the bottom will not be seen. Store clothes of an up-to- 
date fit and style are worn by the successors of these 
men. What the people of to-day have gained in edu- 
cational advancement, has been discounted in the lack 
of genuine hospitality, good cheer, upright living, and 
the passing opportunity of enjoying the good health 
and the appetites incident to pioneer life. In some re- 
mote period, when Webster county is peopled with a 
heterogeneous population, and, when their great, great 
grandchildren have arrived at distinction, there will be 
a movement started, and carried to a successful termi- 
nation, to erect tablets and monuments to the memory 
of the first settlers. The first centennial of the first 
settlement has come and gone and nothing has as yet 
been done to mark the graves of the men who wore the 
moccasin and the hunting shirt. 

THE MORTOlSr FAMILY. 

Edward Morton was born in Pennsylvania in 1762. 
At the age of fourteen he became a Revolutionary sol- 
dier. He served until the close of the war and was 
with Washington when he captured Cornwallis at 
Yorktown in 1781. After the war he settled on the 
Cowpasture river in Virginia, where he reared a large 






AXD Other Imprixts. 149 



family of children. He and liis son Thomas, who was 
a soldier in the War of 1813, moved to Stroud's creek 
in 1850. Thej^ purchased five thousand acres of land 
and at once began to i^repare it for cultivation. 

Thomas married an Irish girl by the name of Elander 
Leach. He was the father of the following children: 
Edward, Robert, John, George, Thomas, Jr., Margaret, 
Elizabeth, and Sarah. Thomas was the founder of the 
Morton family in Webster and Nicholas counties. 

Edward married Mary Ann Bodkins and became the 
father of Porterfield, Felix, Cathjarine and Louisa. 
Both girls died in childhood. 

Robert married Mary Jane Campbell. His children 
were George, Francis, Charles, Margaret, Rebecca, 
Mary, Rachel, and Hettie. 

John married Mary Ann Devereux and became the 
father of Garland, Clark, William, Jimison, Samuel, 
Elizabeth and Caroline. 

George married Hannah C. Ivyer and reared the fol- 
lowing children: Emerson, Eskridge H., Catharine, 
Drusilla, Annie, and Sarah. 

Thomas married Sarah Rader and his children were 
Floyd, Eliza, and Elizabeth. These five brothers lived 
near neighbors on Stroud's creek. They were most ex- 
cellent farmers and stock men. They were among the 
very best citizens of Webster county. Of the daughters, 
Margaret married John Dodge, Elizabeth married 
Adam Rader, and Sarah married Charles Kyer. 

Felix, the second son of Edward Morton, married 
Elizabeth CoUison in 1867. One son, AYilliam E., and 
one daughter, Annie R., was born unto this union. 
His wife dvino- in 1872, Mr. Morton married Nannie 



150 Moccasin Teacks 

Bobbitt, of Niciholas comity, in 1879. George E., the 
present (1915) superintendent of the free schools of 
Webster county, is the eldest of six children. 

The Morton family has always been prominent in the 
development of Webster county. Many have filled 
places of public trust and have rendered efficient ser- 
vices. Members of the family have been prominent in 
educational advancement and have been successful 
school teachers. 



TRACKLETS. 



Samuel Given, senior, took the lirst census of Web- 
ster county in 1860. The second census was taken by 

Isaac H. Griffin in 1870. 

♦ ♦ ♦ 

The Honorable Joseph A. Alderson represented the 
counties of Xicholas, Braxton and Clay in the House of 
delegates of the General Assembly of Virginia in its 
session of 1859-1860. Mr. Alderson was a great ad- 
mirer -of Daniel Webster, who died in 1852, and he 
selected Webster as the name for the ncAV county pro- 
vided for at that session of the Assembly. 

He was the father of the late Honorable John D. Al- 
derson, of Nicholas county. 

5l< * * 

The first Webster county court house, together with 
all the records, with the exception of one book not in 
the building at the time, was burned on the night of 
June 17, 1888. The origin is not definitely known, 
but it was probably burned to destroy some records in- 
volved in a land suit. 

* * * . 

The election of 1865 was a very exciting one. The 
following men were candidates for assessor: Addison 
Hamrick, of Gauley; Andrew McElwain, Arthur Ham- 
rick, Adam G. Cogar, Franklin Hamrick, William 
Hamrick, Adam Gregory, William Given, and Joel Dob- 
bins. This race would indicate that men were no less 
willing to be sacrificed for the good of the public, fifty 
years ago, than they are to-day. 



152 MoccASix Tracks 

In 1850, Eobert Gregory built a school house near the 
present site of the St. Mary's school house, and Wil- 
liam Given was employed as teacher for three months. 
William G. Hamrick, Benjamin Hamrick, Isabel Ham- 
rick, Rebecca Gregory, Isaac Gregory, Thomas Gregory, 
William Gregory, Xoody Gregory, Samuel Given, 
Betsey Given, James Dobbins, Xancy Dobbins, and Cur- 

rence Gregory were his pupils. 

* * ♦ 

The following men went from the Elk valley and 
vicinity to Xorfolk, Virginia, in the War of 1812, to 
fight the British: Colonel Isaac Gregory, William 
Hamrick, Benjamin Hamrick, John Kyer, Jacob Co- 
gar, Daniel Matheny, Thomas Cogar, George McEl- 
wain, and James Miller. They joined a regiment at 
Lewisburg and immediately marched across the Alle- 
ghany mountains to the Atlantic. The camp site- at 
Norfolk was low and swampy. Many fell victims to 
malarial and typhoid fevers. The men were given 
picks and shovels and set to work building fortifica- 
tions. When these were completed, they were told to 
throw tlie earth back to its original place. In this way, 
the men were given exercise. They did not have a 
chance to fight the enemy because the British did not 
make any attempt to land troops at that place. But 
they did see the British flag displayed from the mast 

head of a British-man^of-war far out at sea. 

♦ * ♦ 

William Hamrick, the hunter, was born in 1789. He 
was four years old when he was carried from the Wil- 
liams river to Donnally's fort by Jack McMillion. Jen- 
nie Gregorv, who became his wife, was four vears old 



^ AND Other Imprints. 153 

when her father. Colonel Isaac Gregory, moved to the 
Gauley in 1800. She remembered seeing her mother 
fall from her horse in the Greenbrier river on that 
memorable journey into the wilderness. William Ham. 
rick settled in the Elk valley in 1813. His two nearest 
neighbors were Bonner, living at the month of Balti- 
more run, and Wright, living at the Given ford. 

* * * 

Isaac Duefield and his wife Isabel lived near the 
mouth of Miller Mill run on the Gauley in 1803. Due- 
field and Colonel Gregory were brothers-in-law and 

both came from Bath county. 

* * * 

Colonel Isaac Gregory was one of the first justices of 
the peace of Nicholas county and became a member of 
the county court at Kessler's Cross Lanes in 1818. C. 
W. Cottle, who killed the elk above the mouth of 
Straight creek, was also one of the first justices and 
was elected the first member of the General Assembly 

from Nicholas county. 

* * * 

The following is a copy of one of the very first, if 
not the first, teachers' certificates granted in Webster 
county. 

Webster County, West Va., December 4, 1868. 
This is to certify that I have this day examined 
James Woodzell and finding him qualified to teach a 
Primary School in this county do hereby give him a 
No. 2 certificate In Duplicate. 

Jas. Dyer 
Co. Supt. of Free Schools. 



154 



MoccAsix Tracks 



Mr. Woodzell taught at Webster Springs for a term 
of three months on the above certificate. This was the 
first free school taught at the Springs. Doctor C. W. 
Benediim followed Owen Thornton in 1871. Peter L. 
J. Cogar, James Woodzell, George Wolverton and Pat- 
rick F. Duffy were the only residents of the town at 
that time. 



List of Union soldiers from Webster county during 
the Civil War. 



Wesley Collins, 


Co. 


A. 


10th w 


'. AX- Vol. lE 


]^iley Collins, 


•? 


?^ 




77 


77 77 


Archibald Collins, 


7 J 


-V 




77 


77 7J 


Wilson Howell, 


a 


?? 




7? 


77 7? 


Zachariah E. Plowell, 


-V 


7? 




77 


77 77 


James Green, 


?? 


E. 




77 


77 77 


George W. Wolverton, 


-V 


7» 




77 


77 77 


William McAvoy, 


7^ 


.V 




7? 


77 77 


Owen Brenigar, 


•? 


?? 




77 


77 77 


Addison McFisher, 


,*? 


?7 




77 


7? 77 


Abner Cogar, 


7? 


7? 




77 


77 75 


William G. Hamrick, 


?? 


7? 




77 


77 77 


Pobert Pritt, 


ii 


G. 




77 


77 77 


Shannon Cline, 


7? 


K. 




77 


77 7 


Isaac H. Griffin, 


?> 


E. 


3rd W. 


Ya. 


Cavalry. 


Geo. Griffin, 


^? 


7^ 




77 


77 


Jeremiah Sawyers, 


^? 


I. 




77 


ii 


Adam Gregory, 


Artillery. 







The boys of the Tenth West Virginia did some hard 
fighting during the time in which they were in the 
service. 



AND Other Impeints. 155 

The following is a correct list of the engagements 
that William G. Hamrick took part in when a member 
of the Tenth: Buckhannon, Virginia, August 29, 
1863; Beverly, West Virginia, July 3, 1863; Droop 
Mountain, West Virginia, November 6, 1863; Leetown, 
Virginia, July 3, 1863; Maryland Heights, Maryland, 
July 6, 7, 1864; Snicker's Ferry, Virginia July 17, 

18, 1864; Winchester, Virginia, July 24, 1864; Mar- 
tinsburg. West Virginia, July 25, 1864; Berry ville, 
Virginia, September 3, 1864; near Winchester, Vir- 
ginia, September 19, 1864; Fisher's Hill, Virginia, 
September 22, 1864; Cedar Creek, Virginia, October 

19, 1864; Hatcher's Eun, Virginia, November 30, 
1864; Petersburg, Virginia, April 2, 1865; Eice's 
Station, Virginia, April 7, 1865 ; Appomattox, Vir- 
ginia, April 9, 1865. 

I certify on honor this is a true statement of the 
within mentioned engagements. 

Sergt. Eos well A. Shepherdson, 
Co. E. 10th Eegt. W. Va. Vol. Inft. 

George Griffin was killed at the battle of Eocky Gap, 
called by the Confederates Dry Creek, in 1863. James 
Green died on his way home after his discharge in 
Upshur county. Abner Cogar died in a hospital tent at 
Winchester. Isaac H. Griffin was wounded at Steven's 
Depot, and W. G. Hamrick received a slight wound at 
Winchester. Addison McFisher received a severe wound 
at Snicker's Gap. L. M. Marsh was captain of Com- 
pany E. . 



lo(y Moccasin Tracks 

Henry C. Moore was born in Clinton, Maine, in 
1817. He married Margaret Hamrick in 1853. At 
one time he was one of the largest land owners in Web- 
ster county. At the beginning of the Civil War he 
went to Clarksburg, where he joined the Federal army 
and acted as pilot for General George B. McClellan in 
his Western Virginia campaign. Mr. Moore repre- 
sented Webster county in the First Wheeling Conven- 
tion in 1861, for one week. In 1863 he went west. 
He spent a large portion of his later years in trying to 
solve the problem of aerial navigation. He died but 
recently in the state of Iowa. 

:;< :iJ * 

The Act by the Virginia General Assembly creating 
Webster county located the seat of justice on land 
owned by Addison McLaughlin, at the junction of the 
Elk and the Back Fork rivers, and declared that it 
should be called Addison. The place had been known 
as Fork Lick for many years. When the town was sur- 
veyed it was called by the latter name and it continued 
to be so until an Act was passed by the Legislature of 
West Virginia in 1873 declaring that the town there- 
after should be known as x\ddison. The name was 
changed in 1903 to Webster Springs by legislative en- 
actment. A very euphonious name has been erased 
froni the map of West Virginia by American commer- 
cialism, and a great injustice has been done to the 
memory of a public spirited man who gave to the peo- 
ple of Webster eounty their public square. 



Other Imprints 



THE TRUE GRANDEUR OF NATIONS. 

Ancient nations had their rise, continuance, decline, 
and fall, and each in its own way taught to succeeding 
nations a lesson for good or for evil. Modern nations 
have had their rise and continuance, and many have 
somewhat declined in power and influence during the 
last two hundred and fifty years. When we take a 
retrospective view of the historic nations the question: 
"What constitutes the True Grandeur of Nations?" 
naturally arises. It does not consist of an extensive 
empire built up at the expense of weaker nations and 
governed by a Caligula, a Nero, or a George III ; it does 
not consist of a splendid and a well equipped army that 
might at the bidding of a tyrant crush a weaker nation 
struggling for political freedom; it does not consist of 
a powerful navy whose vessels carry the ensign of power 
into foreign seas: it does not consist of high walls like 
the Athenians built in Attica or the Babylonians built 
at Babylon ■ neither does it consist of fine military roads 
like the Appian Way, built by the Romans in southern 
Italy, over which their army marched , to victory under 
the imperial eagle. But it does consist of the prin- 
ciples promulgated in the American Declaration of In- 
dependence, that all men are created equal and are en- 
titled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It 
also consists of the individual worth and the intellectual 
development of the people - composing the nation. 
Abraham Lincoln, the great Commoner and American 
statesman, recognized the first of these in his great ora- 
tion on the Gettysburg battle field when he spoke of a 
government being of the people, for the people, and bv 



160 Moccasin Tkacks 

the people. Napoleon Bonaparte, perhaps the gFeatest 
military genius the world has ever produced, recognized 
the second of these when he spoke of men as being 
nothing, but a man as everything. Though a nation 
may be composed of individuals as innumerable as the 
sands of the seashore, if they do not possess a high 
perception of right ; if they fail to promote the universal 
brotherhood of mankind both at home and abroad; if 
they are unwilling to assist the weak, the oppressed 
and the helpless, that nation will fail to contribute any- 
thing of material worth to the advancement of civiliza- 
tion, or to the moral and religious elevation of man- 
kind. Where these principles have been recognized 
and where they have been carried into effect, we find the 
nation has made the greatest progress in all things that 
make a people great, contented, prosperous and happy. 

The great Medo-Persian Empire, occupying the fair- 
est portion of Eurasia, and possessing many advantages 
in soil and climate, failed to exert an influence for 
good either at home or abroad because the rulers acted 
from the false premise that might makes right. While 
it is true that King Darius and his illustrious son and 
successor Xerxes could muster and equip millious of 
men and could carry on a war of conquest in Europe, 
in Asia, and in Africa, yet they utterly failed to wield 
an influence for good among the nations of the eartli. 
Military glory and achievement stimulate individual 
action, but in the end it causes decay by impoverishing 
nations as well as individuals. War should only be 
resorted to wdien a nation fails to secure justice by in- 
ternational law or arbitration. 

The people inhabiting the little country of Phoenicia, 



AND Other Imprints. 10 J 

hemiiiecl in ou the east by the Lebanon mountains, whose 
only outlet on the west was by way of the Mediterranean 
sea, did not go forth to conquer the world by military 
tactics but by planting colonies in distant countries, 
fostered trade and navigation and disseminated learning 
and civilization to the uttermost parts of the known 
world. They aided most of the great enterprises of 
antiquity. They introduced the alphabet into Europe; 
they furnished naval armaments for the Pharaohs of 
Egypt; they assisted Solomon in building the magnif- 
icent temple at Jerusalem; they built the Hellespon tine 
bridge. for Xerxes; a Phcenician vessel served as a 
model for the first Eoman war galley. Modern civiliza- 
tion owes more to the little country of Phoenicia than 
it does to the great Persian Empire. 

Switzerland, situated in the x\lpine regions of south- 
ern Europe, has never been conquered by a foreign foe. 
Her policy has been one of peace and she has never at- 
tempted to conquer or oppose any nation or people. 
Each individual has been given a just share in the 
government and they have always been entitled to the 
fruits of their labor. The battlefields .of Morgarten, 
Sempach and Naefles, wdiere the Swiss peasants met 
the Austrian tyrants, w411 always be revered by liberty- 
loving people of all nations. They did not wage war 
for glory or for conquest, but for political existence. 
Individual worth is the true philosopher's stone that 
has ever given a golden hue tO' national existence. It 
is the key that has unlocked the storehouse of material 
creation, and has harnessed the mighty forces of natxire. 

Greece is a good example of the higher aims of a 
people. As long as her people were ruled wisely she 



162 Moccasin Tracks 

flour isl led and produced such great characters as Homer, 
Solon, Aristides and Lycurgus. When she departed 
from the principles of the golden rule, rivalry, jealousy 
and hatred was engendered and the great Pelopone- 
sian War was the result. This soon caused the down- 
fall and the enslavement of Greece. Nations can no 
less afl^ord to be dishonest with each other than in- 
dividuals. Greece bore her best fruit during the days 
of peace and colonization and before military glory was 
her object. 

Rome, the Eternal City, the Mistress of the World, 
built upon her seven hills, shows the misery and degra- 
dation caused by war. It was during her earlier his- 
tory that she produced her greatest and her best men. 
The great contest between the plebeians and patricians 
was settled by giving each faction a just share in the 
government. There were many devotees of literature, 
painting, and sculpture. The city grew in numbers and 
in wealth. But it was not long until a spirit of con- 
quest was developed. Many nations were conquered, 
and formed into Eoman provinces, and imperial Eome 
became a great universal empire. The love of display 
and power fostered jealousy, hatred, and rivalry. The 
civil wars ensued which finally resulted in the doAvnfall 
of Eome. Modern nations would do well to heed these 
great historic truths that come to them so forcibly from 
the past ages. 

Our own country, the land of the free and the home 
of the brave, has had one hundred and thirty-seven years 
of national existence, and there is but little in its his- 
tory for which any American citizen need be ashamed. 
While it is true that in the beginning, a part of the 



AND Other Imprints. . 1G3 

•people were held in bondage^ and a different construc- 
tion was placed upon the Constitution by the people of 
the north and the south, yet after an armed conflict 
lasting four years in which the lives of 600,000 of our 
citizen-soldiers had been sacrificed upon the altar of the 
god of war, the nation emerged from the smoke of the con- 
flict a reunited people without the loss of a single star 
from the flag. The assertion in the Declaration of In- 
dependence that all men are created equal was now an 
actual fact and not as a sounding brass or a tinkling 
cymbal. It could now be said by all persons born or 
naturalized in the United States from the pine-clad 
hills of Maine to the Golden Gates of California; from 
the placid waters of the Great Lakes to the orange 
groves of Florida, that they owed allegiance to no 
master save the God who created them. 

The United States has always espoused the cause of 
the weak and the oppressed. The Monroe Doctrine has 
been enforced in favor of her sister republics of the 
South. By an armed intervention Cuba, the Queen of 
the Antilles, was freed from th» tyranny of Spain. When 
any great calamity has occurred, and a call for aid has 
been issued, the purse strings of the American people 
have been loosened, and very liberal donations have 
been made. The people have always shown the same 
liberality in aiding the victims of an Italian earthquake, 
a famine in Russia, China, or India as in relieving the 
victims of a California earthquake, a Mississippi flood, 
or a Baltimore fire. These are objects worthy the best 
efforts of any nation. 

It has been said that the voice of the people is the 
voice of God. May the voice of the American people bq 



164: Moccasin Tracks 

ill consonance with that Scriptural injunction which 
should be the orillamme of nations as well as indi- 
viduals that, "All things whatsoever ye would that men 
should do to you do ye even so to them." May our 
people know the right and dare to do the right at 
whatever sacrifices they may be called upon to make. 
May right always prevail. May justice, moderation, 
and wisdom be the w^atchwords of the American peo- 
ple. If we folloW' the principles I have laid down as 
indicating the true grandeur of nations our decline and 
fall is very remote. 



» 



ECHOES. 

The life of an individual is but an echo of the past. 
Some agency for good or for evil has either directly or 
indirectly influenced the life of every one. 

In Grecian mythology Echo was one of the numerous 
families of nymphs inhabiting the forests. She was the 
daughter of the Air and the Earth. Juno, the queen 
of heaven, became enraged at her because of her lo- 
quacity, and poor Echo was compelled to wait in silence 
until others had spoken and then to repeat their last 
words only. 

One day she saw and loved a youth named Narcissus, 
who came into the woods, searching for his companions 
of the chase. "Come hither,^' he called, and Echo, 
cried "Hither.'^ Narcissus replied. "Here I am — come." 
"I come,'' said Echo, and appeared before him. 

Narcissus stood as one transfixed at the sudden ap- 
pearance of a maiden of such dazzling beauty, but he 
was so much angered at iher mimicry that he turned 
and hastened away without even speaking to her. Poor 
Echo was so chagrined at this rebuff that from that 
chance meeting she faded to a voice and remains silent 
to this day unless she is called. Narcissus did not meet 
with a kindlier fate. He afterwards became so en- 
amored of his own image as seen in a fountain that he 
was changed into the flower that bears his name. This 
beautiful little flower, that belongs to the daffodil 
family, is used in European countries for Christmas 
decorations. 

Unlike the unfortunate wood nymph, we should 
speak fearlessly on all questions affecting the general 



166 MoccASix Tracks 

welfare of the public. We should not wait to be called 
forth to defend the right and to censure the wrong. 
Every human action or endeavor, wdiether for good, or 
for evil purposes, has an influence proportionate to its 
intensity. Its effects will be felt in after years. It 
will act like an echo in its repetition and its influence 
will be felt by generations yet unborn. The life of an 
individual sets in motion a powerful agency that is re- 
turned in after years to bless or curse mankind. 

It has been said that our good deeds are written in 
water; our evil ones in brass. If the latter are so 
much more enduring, how careful one should be in his 
or her actions. No one can undo or entirely counter- 
act evil influences once set in motion. Like an echo 
they are cast back upon the world and are encountered 
at every turn in the highway of life to entangle and en- 
snare the unwary. An unkind word said in the heat of 
passion leaves a wounded heart that long refuses to be 
comforted. An evil or an unkind thought leaves its im- 
print on the character of the person who harbors it. 

"Each deed we do, each word we say, 
Though trivial they often seem. 

May hurt or help somebody else 
In ways of which we never dream.'' 

Deeds and words are like sound waves. Some great 
thinkers have said that when vibrations in the air are 
once started, they go on forever, although they may be 
inaudible to the human ear. The fact that the evil that 
men do lives after them has never been questioned; 
neither has the good that is done by them. 

It can never be known in this world to what extent 



1G7 

an act of ours may intiuence the life of another. It 
may be more far-reaching than the human mind can 
fathom as it is re-echoed in the life of future genera- 
tions. Which shall it be, for good or evil? 

It must be remembered that a physical echo exactly 
corresponds to the sound reproduced. If we speak kindly 
and gently, the returned words will be of a like char- 
acter. Harsh, grating words will be of a similar kind. 
How true and how applicable is this to one's every day 
life. That like produces like is as old as material 
creation. It holds good in the moral and the religious 
world as well. 

Christmas is a very appropriate time to refresh one's 
memory as to the character of the influence set in mo- 
tion during the past twelve months. The obscene story 
told in jest to amuse a friend; the profane words used 
in the presence of small boys; the lack of sympathy 
manifested towards some one in distress, and numerous 
other acts most trivial in themselves, and almost unno- 
ticed at the time, will go on and on, gaining new and 
added force each time they are repeated or echoed by 
others. 

Every individual sometimes unconsciously sets ex- 
amples that are most explicitly followed by others. Some 
years ago a farmer started to the barn to feed his 
stock. A little five year old son asked if he might go 
along. He was told that he could not walk through 
the deep snow. "But papa," said the child, "T can 
step in the tracks that you make." It can be most 
readily imagined what a train of thought this little in- 
cident awakened in the mind of the father. He most 



1G8 MoccAsix Tracks 

assuredly came to the conclusion that his son would im- 
itate his daily conduct. 

"He is a chip of the old block/'' is a trite saying 
often quoted when describing the peculiarities of the 
father reproduced by the son. This is but an ecilio of 
the past life of the father, and will be present through- 
out the life o^' the offspring. It will be reechoed in the 
grandson. 

One of the greatest factors in the popularity of the 
gospel promulgated by the Great Teacher was His 
meekness and His humility: His desire to do good and 
to better man's condition in this world and in the next. 
His spotless life and His devotion to His work attracted 
and held the attention of countless millions of the hu- 
man race during the past nineteen hundred years. 
The human side of His life has been a guide for all 
men with good intentions. The benign influence of 
His life has echoed through the ages of the Christian 
era, and will continue until time shall be no more. 

The heralds of the nativity of Christ proclaimed 
peace on earth and good will to all men. What a trav- 
esty on this beautiful sentiment were the conditions 
in Europe on Christmas Hay, 191i. The ringing of 
tlie heretofore merry Christmas bells sounded like a 
tocsin of war or the death knell of a soldier whose life 
liad been extinguished in an attempt to exploit modern 
commercialism, or to enlarge the domain of some un- 
scrupulous ruler. But the ways of Providence are past 
human comprehension. Nations, as well as individu- 
als, are the instruments through which God works to 
accomplish His purposes. 

As the roar of the cannon from the lowlands of Bel- 



AND Other Imprints. 169 

gium and the mountains of Alsace echo through the 
long corridors of time, some great and unexpected good 
to mankind will result from the stupendous loss of life 
and the intense suffering of the noncombatants. Pres- 
ent conditions in Europe would indicate that man is 
not yet ready to convert his weapons of warfare into 
implements of husbandry. This does not mean that 
the teachings of Christ have lost their efficiency. It is 
but an echo from man when he was in a state border- 
ing on savagery, when brute force was recognized and 
considered a far greater asset than moral or intellectual 
development, and when the life of a human being was 
of little worth when it was in opposition to the accom- 
plishment of some cherished plan. 

This should not be the condition in the first quarter 
of the twentieth century. War should have been left 
centuries behind so that nothing but its echo could be 
heard in this day of enlightenment. 



THE CEMETERY. 

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the great American 
writer, who is often referred to as the poet of Home, 
Hope and Heaven, has said that he liked the epithet 
''God's Acre'' that the Saxons applied to their burial 
ground. His high mental organism and his great sym- 
pathetic heart at once saw the beautiful meaning ex- 
pressed in the appellation. 

The uncanny and superstitious awe in which a grave- 
yard is regarded by many persons is greatly diminished 
when we think of our last earthly resting place as being 
consecrated to God. To us our dear friends but sleep 
in God's loving care until He awakens them from 
their slumbers. This is not only a very comforting, 
but a very pleasing 'thought. This thought robs the 
grave of its seeming harshness and terror. 

To the Christian, who believes in the final resurrec- 
tion of the body, the grave is but a temporary abode 
froni which it will be called to enter upon a higher and 
perhaps a more useful career. Sorrow for the departed 
is the only grief from whicli the human heart refuses 
to be separated. This is a very striking characteristic 
of the human family. The remembrance of our friends 
becomes dearer to us as the tide of years roll onward 
in their ceasless course. The place where they lie at 
rest becomes dearer and we would not have them back 
again even if we could have it so. It is useless to re- 
pine over our loss. "We should rather rejoice that their 
life's work is completed and that they have but crossed 
over, to await our coming. They are yet living in the 
noble work which they accomplished during life's fit- 



AND Other Imprints. 171 

ful career, and above all tins, they live in the heaxts 
and the aftections of their friends who are yet on this 
side of the line that divides time from eternity. 

It seems passing strange what little attention is be- 
stowed upon country cemeteries. They are overgrown 
with weeds and briars, and if fenced at all its unsightly 
appearance is such that it would be better to have dis- 
pensed with it altogether. But, says someone, the beau- 
tifying of the cemeteries does not benefit the deceased. 
We must readily admit the truthfulnss of this asser- 
tion. The good is intended for the living, and not for 
the dead. No one for a moment thinks that decorating 
the graves with flowers is of any use whatever to the 
occupant of the grave, but who among us would abolish 
this most beautiful custom ? 

By associating with persons, whom we love, we are 
elevated to a higher plane of thought and self and all 
selfish feelings are kept in abeyance. It is because of 
this tendency that the attention and care given to the 
cemetery has an ennobling effect. 

A few years since a crowded railroad train stopped 
on a siding near one of the most popular and well kept 
cemeteries in central West Virginia. The day was 
blustery and stormy, it being midwinter. Snow lightly 
covered the ground, which blended harmoniously with 
the tombstones and more pretentious monuments which 
covered a large area of space. The passengers sitting 
on the side of the cars facing the cemetery for sometime 
listlessly watched the snowflakes chasing one another 
past the windows in rapid succession. Presently their 
attention was attracted to a man of perhaps seventy 



17*? Moccasin Tracks 

years and a little girl of about live standing beside a 
grave over in what seemed to be a neglected part of the 
burial ground. JSTo high shafts of marble or granite 
adorned the vicinity in which tbey stood. 

Judging from their dress it was plainly indicated 
that they belonged to the humbler walks of life. The 
old gentleman wore neither overcoat nor gloves, and the 
child was clad in a faded gingham frock. The little 
girl carried a small basket on her arm containing a 
few Howers. With these they decorated the grave in 
the midst of the blinding storm., While tliis was 
being done one could easily imagine the childish prat- 
tle of the little girl. Perhaps, she was saying that 
dear old gTandma had loved the flowers. Perchance, 
it was in memory of a kind, loving mother, that this 
was being done. The conversation could not be heard 
but the deed could not be minconstrued. 

As the train left that hallowed scene there was not 
a person who witnessed this act of devoted love who 
had not a warm spot in his heart for the old man and 
the little girl. Otlier cemeteries many miles distant 
was brought vividly to mind where a snow-covered 
mound contained all that was mortal of some loved one. 

It is such a homely scene as this that makes the 
world aware of tlie universal brotherhood of mankind. 
There is, indeed, a touch of nature that makes the 
world akin. A greater tribute of respect was paid to 
the memory of the one who lay buried beneath the snow 
tlian the erection of a costly monument. 



Chronicles of an Oak 



Number I. 

A lone and pensive angler near the close of a hot 
day in July sat himself down beneath the ample foliage 
of the "Skyles Oak." The day had been spent in fish- 
ing for bass in Biroh river. The gentle breezes from 
the west as they played among the branches of the 
tree may have lulled him to repose, or it may have 
been the listlessness that comes over one in solitude 
that soothes tired muscles as well as a tired brain. At 
any rate the angler felt conscious of a small voice that 
came from the branches of the tree, and it seemed to 
be addressing the angler : 

♦ ♦ Si5 

^'And you would like to hear something of my life 
history ? Well, well ! Many, many years ago, perhaps 
two hundred, I was a small acorn snuggled closely in 
my little cradle. My mamma stood on that high bluff 
just beyond the cliff you can see yonder. One autumn 
day a little bird took me out of my cradle and carried 
me down here by the side of the brook. It told me 
that I would soon change my form and that I would 
become very beautiful. I went to sleep and slept for 
a long, long time. One morning in April the south 
wind woke me and it told me that I was to be a tree. 
The sun, rain and dew nourished me, and my leaves 
began to unfold. 

* * * 

One of the first things I can remember, besides the 
bright sunsihine and what the little bird and the south 
wind told me, was a pretty, graceful doe that led her 
two spotted fawns down to drink of the sparkling 



176 Moccasin Tracks 

water that flowed beneath my tiny branches. This was 
many, many years before the white hunter had invaded 
this country. The deer had neither heard the report 
of his rifle nor the bark of his dog. They were always 
very shy, timid animals, but they were not afraid to 
come into the open spaces in their forest home. 

♦ ♦ Hs 

"When I was a very small sapling, some Indians that 
had come from the Shawnee town on the Scioto, in 
Ohio, passed by on their way to visit their kin at the 
Mingo Flats. They went up Birch by way of the Toll 
Gate and crossed the Gauley at the Old Indian Ford 
south-west of Upper Glade. Oh, my, how scared I 
w^as when I saw their painted faces and their toma- 
hawks ! Xo white settlers lived in this valley at that 
time for them to make war upon. 

♦ Hs Hs 

'"When I had grown to a good-sized tree, a man with 
an axe came here and he cut down many smaller trees 
and built a rude log cabin, near where I stand. He 
then went aw^ay and was gone for many days. When 
he returned he brought with him a woman and the 
cutest little blue-eyed baby you have ever seen. He 
brought them from Bath County beyond the mountains. 
Since that time many generations of Dodrills, Baugh- 
mans and Barnetts have walked the foot bridge across 

Skyles creek beneath m}^ friendly branches. 

♦ * * 

"There used to be a sign-board nailed to my trunk, 
which told many a weary traveler that it was thirty- 
one miles to Addison where the now famous Salt Sul- 



• AND Other Imprixts. 177 

pliur springs are located. Invalids often pass here on 
horseback and in carriages on their way to drink of 

their life-giving water. 

♦ * ^ 

"1 well remember when a small freckled faced, bare- 
foot boy passed by on his way to Barnett's Mill, in 
my own way I spoke to him, but he passed on without 
giving me but little thought or attention. It may be 
that he thought that it was only the breezes sighing 
among my branches, or a ghost that would catch him 
before he again saw his dear mamma. He is now a 
man and is better versed in woodcraft than he was at 

that time. 

* * * . 

"Do you remember anything that occurred in this 
and adjoining counties during the Civil War? You 
were too young to remember much about the war, eh ! 
AVell, I remember many things that occurred during 
that late unpleasantness. In the first year of the war 
a party of horsemen from the vicinity of Upper Glade 
passed by here. While their horses drank at the ford, 
I heard a part of their conversation. One gentleman 
in particular, who seemed to be very loquacious, said 
that if there were any Yankees at the Pike he would 
like to see them. They continued on their way and in 
the late afternoon they came back in a great hurry, 
and the gentleman who wanted to see the Yankees was 
so frightened that he did not know whether it was him- 
self or his horse that had been wounded. It was after- 
wards ascertained that the horse was mortally wounded 
and the rider was unscathed. William McKinley, 



178 Moccasin Tracks * 

Rutherford B. Hays and Wliitelaw Eeid were with the 

Yankees at the Pike at that time. 
* * ♦ 

'\Sonie weeks after this little episode a company of 
soldiers stopped here and a blue-eyed^ fair-haired drmn- 
mer boy looked at me and said, 'Why, here is a tree 
just like the one in our yard at home on the Picka- 
way Plains, in Ohio.' His lips trembled and the tears 
trickled down his fair cheeks as he thought of the 
loved ones at home. After they had gone a short time 
the rattle of musketry was heard, and I have often 
wondered if the little drummer boy ever again saw the 
oak tree in his father's yard. AVas he with Sherman on 
his 'March to the Sea,' or with Grant at Appomattox? 
Did he fill an unmarked grave on the banks of the 
beautiful Shenandoah ? 

''One night many years after the war a number of 
persons passed here wearing masks. They stopped and 
held a whispered conversation. I could not hear much 
of what was said but I suspected that they were on 
their way to rob Uncle John Baughman, an aged but 
inoffensive man, who lived a short distance above here. 
Some time after midnight they returned, but they were 
in such a hurry that I could not hear what either of 
them said. There was a woman in the crowd, but she 
could walk as fast as the men. It was scarcely a week 
after this that two officers of the law crossed the ford 
with the woman and two men handcuffed. I heard one 
of the officers say something about a place 'called 
Moimdsville, and judging by what he said it is not a 



AND Other Imprints. 179 

desirable place to be sent, especially for a woman. It ^^•as 
two or three years before I saw the woman again and 
I am sorry to say that her trip to Moundsville did not 

bring about a reformation in her way of living. 

♦ * ^ 

'"A civil engineer passed by here not long since. He 
encircled my waist with a tape line and said that I was 
one hundred and forty-four inches in circumference. 
He also spoke of how many railroad cross-ties could be 
sawed from my trunk. Now, I hope they will not cut 
me down and haul me to Cowen, as I have seen them 
do with so many other fine trees. 

♦ * ♦ 

"One evening while the Skyles Training school was 
in session, a young man and a very beautiful girl came 
down here. They sat on the end of the foot-bridge and 
talked and talked, but it was in such subdued tones 
that I could scarcely hear what they said. I did hear 
them say something about next June, the month of 
roses, and as they went away the moon stole out from 
behind a cloud and as tlie girl looked up into the 
strong, handome face of her companion, they both 
looked very happy. But the oak and the moon do not 
tell the secrets of lovers. Many love affairs are told 

us in great confidence, which are never repeated. 

♦ ♦ ♦ 

"'What have you in your basket? Bass, caught out 
of Birch, did you say? The bass came up from Birch 
into Skyles before you anglers came here. They raised 
myriads of little black babies each spring. When these 
were ten or twelve inches long they went down in- 



180 Moccasin Tracks 

to the deep pools and did not return again except to 

spawn in the spring. 

* * * 

''The angler at this time was aroused to conscious- 
ness and he took his way down the river in the direc- 
tion of his ihome, thinking of what he had heard and 
wondering if all trees did not have an interesting 
history to relate if one could but put himself in the 
proper attitude to understand them/' 



Number II. 

On a reeent visit to his old home on Birch river 
the angler of last July took up his gun, where it had 
lain for many a year, and wended his way to the woods 
in quest of the gray squirrel. The sun was just rising 
above the eastern horizon and his beams soon dissipated 
the autumnal fog that hung like a pall over the peace- 
ful valley. The day was an ideal one for an outing in 
the forest. A gentle breeze from the east scarcely 
moved the leaves that had now begun to put on their 
tints of yellow, red, and orange as if the trees were be- 
ing dressed for a holiday. The blue jays were scolding 
from the tops of the beech and chestnut trees, in seem- 
ing impatience of the lateness of the frost king that 
was to open to their inquisitive gaze the juicy treasures 
contained in their burrs. The woodchuck, now grown 
sleek, fat, and lazy from his too frequent visits to the 
clover patch, stood erect on his hind legs and eyed 
the hunter askance as if to say, "And you have again 
returned to disturb the quietness of the little denizens 
of fields and woods.'' 

The notes of the yellow breasted chat, the clown and 
the ventriloquist of the deep, tangled thickets, no 
longer vibrated upon the air. He took his departure 
early in the month of July to more favored regions to 
spend the time in peace and quiet during the molting 
season. The sharp cry of the robin and the thrush 
indicated their early departure for the sunny south, 
where they can renew their former loves in a more 
congenial clime. The numerous family of flycatchers 
are no longer seen on the wing, the first blasts of 



183 MoccASix Tracks 

Boreas having sent the insects, their chief food supply, 
to their inscrutable winter homes. Squirrels were 
plentiful, feeding on the nuts of the beech, the hickory 
and the chestnut trees. Tlie loud and frequent report 
of the Stevens echoed from hill to hill. Many innocent 
animals were killed that morning that had never in 
any manner harmed the hunter. When his thirst for 
blood had been satisfied, he realized that he was once 
more in the midst of the familiar scenes of his boyhood 
days. What man that has reached the meridian of life 
does not wash for the return of those halcyon days- — 
days spent in the innocent contemplation of the world 
that lay all undiscovered before him. But, alas ! Those 
were the days in which the rose plucked from the inno- 
cent bowers of pleasure had no thorns. The lengthen- 
ing shadows now warned the hunter of approaching 
night, and being in the vicinity of the Skyles Oak, he 
could not forego the pleasure of again resting beneath 
its friendly branches. The incessant babbling of the 
brook seemed to invite repose, and being in a mood for 
meditation, as on a former occasion, he seemed to hear 
a low, sweet voice coming from among the branches. 
Listening attentively this voice resolved i'tself into 

speech and appeared to be addressed to the hunter: 
* *. * 

^^And you are the angler who was here last July? 
I see you have changed your fish rod for a gun. It 
were a great pity that you so-called sportsmen have 
such cupidity. Why not be content in viewing the 
beauties of nature and in studying the forms and the 
habits of God's innocent creatures? But instead of this, 
it is just kill, kill, with you. Had you but given a 



AND Other Imprints. 183 

small portion of the time and money you have spent in 
hunting and fishing to the study of amateur photogra- 
phy, you would now have a collection of pictures you 
would prize very much. Did you say that you would 
give five dollars for a photograph of many of the scenes 
you have looked upon in your outings? Why, certainly 
you would, and more too. But it is now too late to oh- 
tain them, for many have heen destroyed hy man 
through some oue of his many destructive ways. 

SjS ^ ^ 

"I am very sorry to see those little dead squirrels, 
but I am also very glad that you did not kill any 
ruffed grouse. It is against the law to kill them at 
this time, did you say? The average hunter cares hut 
little for the law when he has a chance to kill any 
kind of game. He usually considers any living animal 
his lawful prey. Many years ago a pretty little squirrel 
made his home among my branches. He was so playful 
and such a gentle little creature that I loved him very 
dearly. T was awakened one morning by the loud l3ark- 
ing of a dog. The squirrel had gone down to yonder 
walnut tree for his breakfast. He ran to me as fast 
as he could run, and climbed my trunk to the topmost 
branches, where he thought that he was safe. Just 
then a man came up the road carrying a gun. How 
I trembled for the safety of my little friend! A loud 
report was -heard and the squirrel fell limp and lifeless 
to the ground. His life-blood dyed the daisies that 
grew by the road-side a crimson hue. The man ap- 
peared greatly elated over his triumph and carried the 
lifeless bodv away. 



18i MoccAsix Tracks 

"I have often heard that you were a friend of the 
hirds. Year after year a pair of orioles have suspended 
their nest from one of my slender twigs and reared 
their young undisturbed. Cardinal grosbeaks and song 
sparrows nest in the hemlock and rhododendrons grow- 
ing along the margin of the brook. I hope parents and 
teacliers will so instruct the boys that they will love 
and protect the birds. They are not so plentiful as 
they were when I Avas a younger tree. You have prob- 
ably noticed how many fine trees are infested with 
worms and caterpillars of late years. This is because 
of the decrease in the number of birds. The girls, true 
to their finer sensibilities and inclinations, do not harm 
the birds except in following the relentless hand of 
fashion. 'Now, were I a young lady instead of being a 
tree, I should never wear a little dead bird on my hat. 
It is tolerating the wanton destruction of God's most 
beautiful, as well as most useful, created beings in the 
lower forms of life. 

"One beautiful Sunday morning a number of boys 
who should have l)een at church came down here. Their 
attention was soon attracted l)y the chirp of young 
birds. They spied the nest and with shouts of antici- 
pated victory began to throw stones at it, but it was too 
liigb for their pimy efforts to be of any avail. One of 
tlie boys, more reckless and daring than his compan- 
ions, at once proceeded to dim)) my trunk with the 
evil intention of taking the nestlings from their soft, 
downy cradle that had been so gently rocked by the 
wind. Before he reached his coveted prize the branch 
oji whicli he stood suddenly broke, and he fell heavily 
to tbe ground. I felt very sorry to see the boy in such 



AND Otpier Imprints. 185 

great pain, but I was surely very glad that he did not 
get my baby birds. I hope that he learned a very im- 
portant lesson from his luckless adventure and that he 
never attempted to rob a bird's nest again. 
* * ♦ 

"You would like to be told something more about 
the Civil War? Well, I once told you a little comedy 
about the war, but I will tell you about one of its trage- 
dies. It was the saddest incident that I witnessed dur- 
ing that distressing period. Two civilians, dressed in 
the honorable uniform of Southern soldiers, stopped 
here with an old man, whose scanty locks were white 
almost as the driven snow. He had been taken from 
his mill over on Gauley river in Nicholas county. They 
had made him give up his boots and had given him a 
pair of old shoes. They had compelled him to carry 
them over the many fords of Birch. The water was icy 
cold, it being late in autumn. I heard him speak of a 
dear, little l)oy that had been left on the mill. He feared 
he would be drowned before his mamma found him. 
The old man, almost heart-broken, wrung his hands in 
agony while the tears ran down his emaciated cheeks. 
He never returned to his home and his loved ones. He 
died in the land of Dixie, where he was taken, a mar- 
tyr to sectional strife. A few weeks after a company of 
Nicholas Home Guards passed this way. I heard one 
of them say the little boy found his way home. For 
many and many a cold winter day he anxiously watched 
for his papa who never returned to greet him. He is 
now a man and is an influential citizen of Nicholas 
county. Well, 1 know this is not a very pleasing story 
for you or anyone to hear, but it is true, nevertheless. 



186 Moccasin Tracks 

I hope that no section of country or class of sociotv 
will ever again be arrayed against another. Such a sad 
thing as I have related can only occur in civil vstrife or 
warfare. Eobert Burns, the Scottish poet, has very 
truthfully said, 'Man's inhumanity to man makes count- 
less thousands mourn.' 

* * * 

''There have been many advertisements of patent 
medicines, tobaccos and political meetings posted on my 
trunk. Xow, I think this is very wrong. Many of the 
most beautiful rural scenes have been greatly marred 
by this most pernicious practice. Eocks and trees 
alike are disfigured. What a shock it must be to a, per- 
son, when viewing some natural object of exquisite 
beauty with infinite pleasure, to l)e remnided of the 
fact that he has that tired feeling, or that he is bilious 
and should take a certain brand of pills or other nau- 
seous decoction that in every instance does the patient 
more harm than good. If such things must be read by 
a long-suffering people, let bill boards be erected for 
such purposes. I have heard that many farmers allow 
such stuff to be placed on their barns and other farm 
buildings, but I can scarcely believe that it can be true. 
I hope the legislature of West Virginia will soon pass 
a law making it a misdemeanor under a penalty of fine 
and imprisonment to post notices or advertisements of 
any kind on rocks and trees along the public highways, 
in parks, or on private property unless permission from 

the owner has been obtained. 

* * * ' 

"iSTow, T have taken you into my confidence, and I 
have told you, in my homely way, many interesting 



AXD Other Imprixts. 187 

things. By some persons you have been called a very 
successful angler and hunter. But you have gained no 
real pleasure in your murderous pursuits. When you 
witnessed the death of one of your victims you felt like 
an actual murderer. You could not witness the dying 
agonies, and sought solace in some excuse to justify the 
taking of a life you never can give back again. I am 
frank in telling you that I consider it a very doubtful 
compliment to be called successful in the pursuit of any 
harmless creatures. God in his infinite wisdom made 
them all, and their indiscriminate slaughter by man is 
wrong. You should not again be guilty of such wan- 
ton destruction of life as you have in the past." 
* * * 

The hunter was aroused from his reverie by the 
rather harsh tone in which these last words were spoken, 
and feeling guilty of the charge, he picked up the dead 
squirrels and half wished that he could restore them 
alive to their forest home. As he slowly traveled in 
the direction of home his thoughts were of a sadder cast 
than they were when he so joyously went to the woods 
that beautiful autumnal morning. 



Number III. 

When we have been attracted to any one of the great 
objects of inanimate nature it is but little wonder that 
we desire to pass some time in its presence indulging in 
pleasing reveries, or spending the time in contemplat- 
ing its beauties. We never grow tired of it. While in 
its presence there is a restfulness that comes upon one 
that is akin to sleep^ and a tranquilit}' that gives a 
respite from the harassing cares of the daily routine of 
life. To some persons this object is a flower; to oth- 
ers a rock, a tree, a river, or a mountain, and yet to 
others it is each of these combined in one grand pano- 
rama of nature. 

To me, the most l^eautiful thing below the animal 
kingdom, is a tree. In its majesty as it towers towards 
the sky, it seems to possess some of the qualities be- 
longing to the human family, yet it defies the storms of 
a thousand winters: its branches assume an upright 
position to be the more able to overcome gravitation. 
If its branches are broken by the wind, the damage is 
quickly repaired and a scar only remains as a reminder 
of adversity. Trees have inspired the prose writer as 
well as the poet. They have plaved a very conspicuous 
part in the history of the Fnited States. These historic 
trees can be found scattered throughout the length and 
breadth of the land. Bryant tells us that the groves 
were God's first temples. It was there that man first 
lifted up his heart in praise to his Creator before the 
building of churches, cathedrals, or temples. The oak 
tree was sacred to the Druids, the ancient inhabitants 
of Great Britain. 



AXD Other Impeixts. 189 

It has not been many weeks since the erstwhile an- 
gler and hunter was in the vicinit}^ of the Skyles Oak, 
and he again rested beneath its sheltering branches. 
The western breeze, the babbling brook^ and the inces- 
sant hum of the autumnal insects invited repose. The 
tree spoke to him in its former tone, and with its usual 
alacrity, but in a somewhat sadder vein. This sadness 
might have been because of the near approach of win- 
ter or the loss of some of its leaves. 

* * * 

"Well, I have told you on two former occasions some 
of the most interesting things that have come under my 
observation. I was here when the first settlement was 
made in this valley. I have seen the old pioneer 
dressed in homespun clothes pass away and his son 
wearing tailor-made clothes succeed him. I have seen 
the children go by here on their way to school. It glad- 
dens the heart of any one to see them care-free, and 
to hear them talking so artlessly of the burdens of life 
that lay so lightly upon their shoulders. This is as it 
should be for them. They will be rudely awakened to 
the stern realities of life soon enough. Let them en- 
joy life before its burdens become heavy. 

* * * 

"Many children of the neighborhood have come here 
to play) in my shade and to build castles out of the 
sand in the road and along the brookside. I remem- 
ber one little girl with sparkling blue eyes and raven 
liair who used to gather acorns in her apron and play at 
hide-and-seek with the boys and girls of her own age. 
Her smile was like the sunshine and her lauojhter was 



190 MoccAsiJ^ Teacks 

as musical as the ripple of the brook or the carol of the 
birds among my branches. The same Being that had 
formed the one had created the others also. Well do I 
remember seeing her start on her first morning to 
school to the Four Oaks. She often brought her books 
over here and prepared her lessons when she had grown 
older. She was always kind and gentle, and she had 
many friends. I saw her go away one autumn day 
and I afterwards learned that she was teaching school. 
I watched from day to day for her home coming. When 
she did come home, over there where you can see the 
two black pines in front of the house, she did not come 
to see me because the snow lay deep on the ground. 
On Sunday evening she left the home of her childhood 
never again to visit it. One cold winter day I saw a 
sad throng slowly and sorrowfully coming down the 
road bringing the body of my once little favorite. All 
that was mortal of her was laid to rest on yonder hill, 
where the violets and daisies deck her last resting place 
each returning spring. 'Thus the young and lov-ely 
pass away.' Many children have played here since then, 
but I can never forget the little fairy-like girl who vis- 
ited me so often. The snows of twenty-two winters have 
covered her grave. This mantle ol snow is a very be- 
fitting emblem of her pure and unselfish life. 
* * * 

"It has been extremely painful for me to witness the 
many cruelties practiced upon the horses that have 
been driven or ridden past here. Many horses are 
afraid to venture upon the ice that often covers the 
brook in winter, and whip and spur are used without 



AND Other Imprints. 191 

mercy. I have seen many teams oveiioadedj and be- 
cause the heavy load could not be moved up the steep 
bank on the opposite side of the brook, the horses were 
cruelly beaten by the ignorant drivers. A few months 
ago a very fine span of horses hitched to a wagon 
loaded heavily with lumber crossed the brook, but they 
could not move it up the bank on the other side. The 
leader was a beautiful bay, with sleek, glossy hair. The 
poor creatures time after time did their very best, but 
still the wagon did not move. The driver plied his 
whip with a heavy hand, and used the customary pro- 
fane language, but neither availed anything. The 
horses had become confused and could not pull to- 
gether and the wagon rolled back into the brook. The 
usual crowd collected. Each man offered a plan as the 
best method of procedure. At this time a very benevo- 
lent] looking old gentleman came down the road and 
stopped to' inquire as to wliy so many men and lioys bad 
collected by the roadside. Upon learning the trouble, 
he spoke kindly to the horses and stroked the neck of 
tbe leader. Tbe intelligent animal rubbed his head 
against the old man's shoulder. After adjusting the 
harness on each of the borses he took up the lines, but 
not the whip, and spoke to tliem in a voice that indi- 
cated that the trouble had been removed. The horses 
pulled with a will; the wheels began to turn, and the 
load was easily landed at the top of the bank. 

This was an object lesson not soon to be forgotten. 
The horses felt that their driver did not g'ive them fair 
treatment and they could not act in concert. When 
they had been spoken to kindly they felt like showing 



192 MoccASix Tracks 

their appreciation and the wagon moved along. Socie- 
ties for the prevention of cruelty to animals have done 
and are doing a noble work. It is to be hoped that 
branch societies will be founded in every county oL 
West Virginia. 

"t see you have neither rod nor gun with you. 1 
hope yon will begin the study of nature with a camera 
instead of such deadly weapons as you have been accus- 
tomed to use on your outings. When you get in close 
touch with the squirrels, the grouse, and the quail, they 
become so interesting that you have no desire to kill 
them. They become a part of the great w^orld of 
beauty that is spread around you, and, wdien they are 
gone there is nothing so interesting in nature to take 
their place. Can you imagine what a dreary place this 
w^orld would be if there were no wild animal life? This 
will be the condition a few^ years from now^ if restrictive 

measures are not soon put in force. 
♦ -fi * 

''It has been more than one hundred years since the 
first party of surveyors was here. The leader of the 
crew was a man by the name of Skyles, who was a son 
of the noted surveyor of Kanawha county. He sur- 
veyed a tract of land lying near the mouth of the brook 
that was later called Skyles creek. The space of a cen- 
tury means much in the life history of the individuals 
composing a nation, but it means but little in the his- 
tory of a forest tree. Before the blighting hand of the 
lumberman had smitten the forests of Birch river 
many stately poplar trees, whose life history embraced 



AND Other Imprints. 193 

more than seven centuries, graced its banks. These 

grand old landmarks of the remote past have all been 

cut down and the logs floated to Charleston, or left to 

decay along the banks of the streams." 
* * * 

The latter part of this discourse awakened in the 
listener a feeling of sadness, because it brought back to 
his mind the days of his youth, when he rambled care- 
free through the woods on his father's farm admiring 
the majestic beauty of the forest giants. He waited for 
a continuation of the discourse, but the voice was 
stilled. The breeze had died away and the sun having 
lono^ since crossed the meridian, the listener hastened 
homeward musing on the mutability of time. 



INFLUENCE OF THE CHRISTIAN RE- 
LIGION ON CIVILIZATION. 

• The untaught mind of men in all ages and in ail 
countries has tried to discover the source of life and 
the dispenser of happiness among the people of the 
world. This has given rise to many different systems 
of religion, and each has had a marked effect upon tlie 
destiny of nations and the lives of individuals. The fol- 
lowers of Zoroaster believe that their hig*hest religious 
duty is to ;destroy all harmful animals and noxious 
weeds. The Egyptian mothers, in an agony of grief, 
threw their babies into the Nile to be devoured by the 
hideous crocodiles because they had been taught that 
this was the most effectual way of gaining divine favor. 

The devotees of other religions tried to make them- 
selves just as miserable as possible in this life because 
they thought that was the means by which they could 
gain celestial happiness in the next. The folloAvers 
of Confucius pay divine homage to their ancestors 
because they have been taught that by so doing they 
can obtain eternal happiness. 

The Jewish priests sacrificed lambs and doves be- 
cause they thought that Jehovah was pleased by the 
shedding of hlood on the sacrificial altar. 

The Aztecs of Mexico sacrificed their handsomest 
boys and most beautiful girls because they thought that 
to be the only way in which they could again bring 
themselves into the favor of an offended Deity. 

But the religion that has had the most powerful ef- 
fect, and has -been the most potent factor in the world 
for good, is the one that was established by the meek 
and lowly Jesus — the Christ-child born in Bethlehem 



AND Other .Imprints. 195 

of Judea more than nineteen hundred years ago. By 
him a new religion was given to mankind in which the 
two principal tenets are, love to God_, the Creator, 
and love to man, our fellow being. This is a revealed 
religion based upon the prophetic revelations of such 
men as Samuel, Isaiah^ Elijah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and 
many other holy men of the Hebrew nation. This re- 
ligion in the beginning was taught by Jesus, assisted 
by the disciples and apostles. The idea of a Supreme 
Grod being omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, 
was but imperfectly understood at that time. This 
religion is the one governing the conduct of all civi- 
lized nations of to-day and the one upon which all of 
their public institutions are based. The great mission- 
ary zeal of the Christians has caused to be erected a 
cross, the emblem of their faith, among the most re- 
mote people on the globe. These people have been in- 
structed in the principles of moral and religious recti- 
tude that are elevating in their tendency and in conse- 
quence civilization and learning have been dissem- 
inated. 

The Christian religion is based upon the very ele- 
ments of civilization. It aims for a higher and purer 
life ; for the administration of Justice between man 
and man. It is the basis of modern society, and it of- 
fers to those who sucessfully run the race of life in 
harmony with certain prescribed rules a crown of ever- 
lasting glory, and to those who fail to honor their Cre- 
ator eternal banishment from His presence. 

Non-civilization is the lack of the proper organiza- 
tion of society on the principles of right and justice. 
It is that state of existence in which the people are 



196 Moccasin Tracks 

steeped in ignorance and superstition and in which 
they have no proper conception of either right or 
wrong. The Christian religion, by being the basis of 
society, is a most potent factor in civilization because it 
teaches the sacredness of the marriage vow and filial 
affection. It teaches obedience to law and government. 
It also teaches one's duty to those in unfortunate 
circumstances, all of which elevate and ennoble man- 
kind. 

The first nation to embrace the Christian religion 
was the Roman Empire. Many barbaric peoples with 
whom the Eomans came in contact gladly received their 
missionaries and were enrolled as members of the 
church when baptized. They also accepted their laws, 
maimers and customs that had come from Egypt, As- 
syria, Babylonia, Phoenecia, Greece and many other 
countries. 

This civilization and culture was passed to England, 
Spain, Holland, Germany, Sweden and France through 
the medium of Christianity. From these countries it 
came to America, where it has borne its choicest fruit. 

It is to this religion that we of to-day owe our great- 
est debt of gratitude for our boasted civilization in the 
United States, the land over which the Stars and 
Stripes, designed by Betsy Eoss, waves so triumph- 
antly. 

The Mohammedan religion, founded by Mohammed 
about thirteen hundred years ago, has cast a blight over 
every country in which it has been established, because 
its founder told his followers to plant the Moslem faith 
by the arbitrament of the sword where necessary. What 
a contrast is this with the Christian religion founded 



AND Other Imprints. 197 

by Jesus, who told his followers if smitten on one cheek 
to turn the other also. The angels at the nativity of 
Christ sang an anthem, the burden of which was, 
"Peace on earth and good will to all jmen." This 
should be the slogan of Christ's followers to-day. They 
should not force their religion on any nation, but by 
their upright conduct prove to the world that the 
Christian religion is a reality and not a cloak to be 
worn for the purpose of gaining popularity. 

The Christian religion teaches the universal broth- 
erhood of mankind and the equality of all men in the 
sight of God, whether high or low, rich or poor, learned 
or unlearned, if they but obey His commands. This 
religion pleaded effectually for the abolition of the 
slave and the serf, although St. Paul said that the re- 
ligion of Jesus did not^ change the condition or rela- 
tion of the slave and his master. This meant obedience 
to the laws under which one lives. It prepared the 
way for the introduction of art, literature and culture 
from Eome among the barbaric nations of Western 
Europe, and exerted a powerful influence in the fusion 
of the Latin and Teutonic peoples, which has been 
such a power in modern civilization. The Crusades, 
which were religious wars carried on in behalf of 
Christianity, and which were contrary to its teachings, 
gave great momentum to civilization.' It did not mat- 
ter in the least whether the Holy Sepulcher, that had 
been the resting place of the body of Jesus, was in the 
possession of the infidel Turks, who were the followers 
of Mohammed, or under the dominion of the Chris- 
tians. But "God moves in a mysterious way," and much 
good resulted therefrom, although the lives of vast mul- 



198 Moccasin Tracks 

titudes of deluded people were sacrificed. The surviv- 
ors, on their return to their homes in Western Europe, 
brought back with them treasures ,'of learning and 
classical literature — the fruits of past centuries of hu- 
man endeavor. This awakened among the people of the 
different countries to which the Crusaders returned an 
intellectual activity, which finally resulted in the great 
outbreak known as the Eevival of Learning. These 
holy wars helped to break down the long established 
Feudal Aristocracy and gave prominence to kings and 
people; they checked the advance of the Turks from 
Asia and Africa for three centuries, and preserved the 
existence of Constantinople to the Christians, and thus 
gave to the young and rising civilization of Western 
Europe time to gain the strength necesary to defeat 
the Moslem hordes when they^ invaded Europe in the 
fifteenth century. 

The literature of Christian nations, based upon the 
Bible, has had an elevating effect on the minds of men. 
The Bible, especially that part of it called the Xew 
Testament, has become the guide for the majority of 
all the people in all civilized nations, and its influence 
for good is recognized by those who do not follow its 
teachings. Milton's ^Taradise Lost," Bunyan's "Pil- 
grim's Progress" and Bryant's "Thanatopsis" are recog- 
nized classics in fhe English language. Each of these 
was inspired in the miuds of the author by meditating 
on the life, death, and resurrection of Christ and the 
great plan of human redemption. The reading of these 
productions make better men and nobler women. Paint- 
ing and sculpture have been greatly enriched by persons 
who have taken their subjects from the Bible. 



AND Other Imprints. 199 

This religion is destined to march onward in its 
course until all nations and peoples recognize its merits. 

GOVEHNMENT. 

The nature of the government under which one lives 
affects his well-being to a greater extent than any other 
thing, not excepting religion. A close and impartial 
perusal of the pages of history will justify this asser- 
tion. From the time in which civil government was 
first instituted — a time very remote in the annals of an- 
tiquity — history records countless revolutions, insurrec- 
tions and rebellions. These were principally caused by 
the mistaken ideas of the rulers that the government 
was instituted for their good and for their personal 
aggrandizement, and not for the good of the governed. 
The people objected to any restraint of their actions 
and were restless and easily provoked to violence. The 
rulers were despotic, inhuman and licentious. Many 
profligate rulers resorted to extortion to replenish a 
depleted treasury. 

In comparing the governments of the twentieth cen- 
tury of our era with those of two thousand years ago, 
we wonder how they could be endured. A better ex- 
planation of the objects of government can not be 
found than the ones given in the preamble to our Na- 
tional Constitution. "To establish justice, to insure do- 
mestic tranquility, to provide for the common defense, 
to promote the general welfare, and to secure the bless- 
ings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.'' This 
takes in the whole scope of government, and if these 
objects are strictly observed many abuses of government 
would speedily disappear. 



200 Moccasin Tracks 

Government is established for the good of the ones 
controlled, and not for the benefit of the rulers. It is 
not for the good of the few to the detriment of the 
many. The general good could not be secured through 
any other agency and some form of civil government 
becomes a necessity. 

Law, which is a prescribed rule of action, is the guar- 
dian of liberty, and without it there would be anarchy, 
which is a state of society in which each individual fol- 
lows the bent or inclination of his own desires without 
any restraint from any one in authority. 

One object of government is to protect the people in 
their individual rights. It does this by restraining 
others from doing violence to their person or to their 
property. Government is therefore rendered necesary 
by the disposition of some individuals to do wrong, and 
this will ever be the condition as long as human frail- 
ties exist. But government is not merely repressive; 
it must perform other functions ; it is not only neces- 
sary to restrain the evil-doer, and protect the just, but 
it is necessary to promote the general welfare as well 
as the welfare of individuals in the protection of their 
political rights. 

There are many things that must be done for the ad- 
vancement of a nation that can only be accomplished 
through the agency of civil government. It has much 
more to do besides restraining violence, redressing 
wrongs and punishing transgressors. Science and art 
are to be fostered; education must be promoted: pub- 
lic buildings erected and cared for; highways and 
bridges built and maintained. It has been said by 
many writers on Civics that government is a necessary 



'AND Other Imprints. 301 

evil and the government is the best that governs the 
least. The tendency of such statements is to create 
distrust of, and aversion to, one of the greatest institu- 
tions created by man. A government should be loved, 
obeyed and respected. If it is founded on justice and 
administered in wisdom, it is always beneficial to the 
people living under it. 

If governments are regarded as necessary evik ren- 
dered necessary because of the viciousness and stupid- 
ity of the human family, there is no reason for the 
existence of patriotism, that is stronger than the love 
of kindred or any of the other natural affections. This 
is a very strong proof that government is regarded as a 
blessing and not as an evil. It must be admitted that 
there are abuses practiced in all governments, even in 
the best forms, because man being an imperfect being 
can not create a perfect structure. The best govern- 
ment is not the one that governs the least but, all 
things being equal, that one is the best that makes the 
least show of governing. The wise ruler, whether in 
family, school or state, will avoid giving prominence 
to the fact that he is a controlling power, but the un- 
wise one will on every occasion endeaver to make a dis- 
play of his power. 

There have been many forms of government known to 
history. The oldest was a patriarchal form in which 
the father ruled his family and immediate descendants, 
and at his death the next oldest member succeeded him. 
This, because of the migratory habits of the people, 
was not a very satisfactory form, and was superseded 
by a monarchy in which a, king or queen ruled over a 
certain territory without regard to kinship. Sacred 



202 Moccasin Tracks 

ihistory tells oi' a very peculiar form that existed in 
Palestine whicli may be termed a theocracy^, which is a 
government under the immediate agency of Grod. The 
law was revealed to Moses who in turn gave it to the 
people. We would naturally conclude that this would 
be a very satisfactory government, but the Hebrews 
grew rebellious and clamored for a king, which was 
given .them in the person of Saul. 

Another form was a government by the wisest and 
wealthiest men, called nobles, and is what is known in 
history as an aristocracy. This is now obsolete as a 
separate government, but it is sometimes found com- 
bined with monarchy. It was always unpopular because 
it was too exclusive and did not give the masses a voice 
in their most vital affairs. 

As civilization advanced and education became more 
diffused, the common people obtained recognition and 
obtained a share in law making. In this way democra- 
cies were founded in Europe at a very early period. 
This form has for its foundation the right of suffrage 
and it has always been very highly prized by the mid- 
dle and lower classes of society. A republican form of 
government is a kind of democracy, in which the law- 
making power, as well as the executive, is elected by 
those entitled to vote. This form is substituted for a 
pure democracy in a large, populous country where it 
is impossible for the electorate to meet in one place for 
the transaction of business. 

There are three essential elements in all good gov- 
ernments, viz: strength, wisdom, and honesty. A gov- 
ernment must be'i strong) enough to quell insurrection 
at home, or to repel invasion from without, and to pro- 



AND Ottier Imprixts. 203 

tect its interests and citizens in foreign countries; it 
must possess wisdom in order that the best and the 
most suitable laws may be enacted; it must be honest 
or else it will fall into disrepute and will fail to receive 
the hearty support of the citizens. A monarchy is 
noted for strength, an aristocracy for wisdom, and a 
democracy (a republic) for honesty. 

It is easy to understand why a republic is the most 
honest of all other forms of government. The people 
being the rulers, it is to be supposed that they will be 
honest with themselves. It will often happen that dis- 
honest men will be elected to fill a position for a short 
period of time, but at the next election they can be 
turned out of office and upright men put in their places. 

The government of the United States is a very pecul- 
iar one, and can scarcely be comprehended by foreign- 
ers. It is not thoroughly understood by many of our 
own citizens. If we say that the citizens of the United 
States are one people in all respects and under a gov- 
ernment which is neither a consolidated republic, nor 
yet a confederacy, nor a mixture of the two, but one in 
which the powers of government are divided between a 
general government and a particular one, each emanat- 
ing from the same source, which is the people, we will 
have a very good idea of the government of the United 
States. Were the government a league of states, 
there could be no central or national government; 
were the nation a consolidated republic, there would be 
no state governments. 

In a republic the will of the people is supreme, and 
all who live virtuously may live happily. All laws are 
based upon a constitution of their own choosing, and it 



204 MoccAsiK Tracks 

may be amended from time to, time where found to be 
necessary. 

The National Constitution established three branches 
of government: the executive, the legislative, and the 
judicial, and it also provides that these shall be inde- 
pendent of each other. The United States, in a way, 
combines monarchy, aristocracy and depiocracy, which 
are the three principal forms known to history. The 
individual called the monarch is typified in the person 
of the president, who gives strength and stability; the 
senate represents the nobles in an aristocracy and gives 
wisdom ; democracy is illustrated in the house of repre- 
sentatives and gives honesty. A new set of representa- 
tives is elected by the legal voters every two years and 
reflects their opinions and sentiments. A republican 
form is considered the best government for an enlight- 
ened and an intelligent people. 



BIRDS AND FLOWERS. 

The Creator has given us a most beautiful world in 
which to live. He has also given us intelligence capa- 
ble of the utmost enjoyment, if properly cultivated. 
One of the greatest pleasures of life is within easy reach 
of every one if he but listens to the harmonies of Na- 
ture and keeps his eyes open to her different lines and 
shades of beauty. It is possible for one to go through 
this life neither seeing nor hearing, yet he is neither 
blind nor deaf. The most beautiful flower makes no 
impression upon the eye; the songs of the birds make 
no impression on the ear. He has utterly failed to get 
in touch with the God of Nature and the God of Eeve- 
lation will be but imperfectly understood and will be 
but little appreciated by him. 

The two principal w^ords in the caption of this arti- 
cle are not very aristocratic when one considers the 
great array of adjectives that might modify or restrict 
their meaning. I think that these words are inferior 
to none in the English language except three — Mother, 
Home and Heaven. Each of these has reference to a 
higher organism and development, and they are su- 
preme in our language. Mother is the only celestial 
being this side of Heaven. She is the crowned queen 
of material creation. Home is the dwelling place of 
mother, where we forget all of our troubles amidst her 
all overshadowing love. Heaven is the only place 
where one can enjoy a full fruition of all the hopes 
and aspirations of this life. 

Birds are the greatest beings not endowed with will 
power or the power of knowing. It is said in the Bible 



206 Moccasin Tracks 

that man was created a little lower than the angels. To 
my mind birds are but a few removes from man him- 
self; therefore birds are but little removed from the 
angels. Each of these several classes was spoken into 
existence by the same creator. 

From a botanical viewpoint every student of biology 
can tell us the object and the purpose of a flower. God 
could have accomplished the same object through other 
means. But in His infinite wisdom He gave us the 
flowers to cheer us in the time of distress and darkness. 
Henry Ward Beecher^ perhaps the greatest preacher 
that America has produced, said : "A flower is the 
greatest thing that God ever created and forgot to put 
a soul in it." I do not wish to criticise this assertion, 
but I like to think that such a lovely thing as a flower 
will appear in another world, just like the best repre- 
sentatives of the genus called man. I still hold to the 
belief of my childhood days. 

These thoughts came to me as I sat by the roadside 
near the old Jesse Payne homestead one beautiful June 
morning just after the Bolair Training School had 
closed. I did not sit down because I was tired, for I 
had only left Bolair an hour before, but it was because 
it was of the many birds whose songs could be heard 
from all directions. This region, known as the Sand 
Eun country, is one of the best for birds and flowers 
in West Virginia, or second to none in central North 
America. The birds on this morning were in their best 
spirits; a recent rain had revived the vegetable world 
after a two weeks drought. The birds seemed to be 
celebrating this event in their best song; Nature's or- 
chestra, the most perfect of any, was very much in 



AND Other Imprints. 207 

evidence, in this symphony a hundred voices were 
heard and many of diiferent species. No false note was 
heard; there was no discord, because each musician liad 
been tauglit by the same instructor. The voice of tlie 
wood thrush was heard from many trees. Two brown 
thrashers on the tallest tree on two of the highest points 
in the vicinity were singing. Any one who listens to the 
song of a brown thrasher will at once acknowledge his 
superiority in a musical contest. Five gold-finches 
passed by in their undulating flight and their soft 
musical notes floated on the balmy air; from the top of 
an old chestnut, two flickers were renewing their former 
love; from a thicket on the Elk side of the divide an 
oven bird sang "teacher, teacher, teacher.'^ I wondered 
if it could be the echo of the voice of a belated pupil 
over at the church where the Training School closed on 
yesterday; a red-eyed vireo made a clumsy effort at 
catching an insect on the wing in imitation of a true 
fly-catcher. Its mate joined him and they espied a 
hooded warbler that had attached a hanging nest in the 
crotch of a maple limb about five feet from the ground. 
They spoke to the brooding mother, but she made no 
reply. After they had gone away investigation revealed 
four white eggs flecked with black on the larger end. 
I thought what a busy time such a little mother would 
have providing food for her hungry babies. The 
call of a crow was heard over on the divide between 
Beaver and Sand runs ; a grass finch sang his cheerful 
song from a sassafras bush growing in a nearby pasture 
field; away off in the deep woods the musical but 
plaintive notes of a wood pewee were heard: from a 



208 Moccasin Tracks 

different direction the sweet voice of a scarlet tanager 
came floating on the air; he was answered by the Ken- 
tucky cardinal, a near relative; the scolding voice of 
a robin was heard overhead; on looking up a female of 
that species was seen with her bill filled with food and 
she hastened away to relieve the hunger of her nest- 
lings : a least fly catcher, whose flight song is the finest 
note in nature^s orchestra, was both seen and heard. 
The tufted titmouse, the noisiest of small birds, was 
very much in evidence ; his cousin, the chickadee, in his 
black cap, was exploring a cavity in a poplar stump; 
a blue bird, whose pugnacity is as pronounced as that 
of the English sparrow, made a dash at him and he 
sought the protection of the low brush growing along 
a fence. As I journeyed toward the Springs the yellow 
breasted chat sang from a dense thicket. The drum of 
a ruffed grouse and the merry whistle of a bob white 
were added to the list of birds seen and heard. On the 
"Golden Shore" the song sparrow, the sweetest singer 
of the family, attracted my attention. He, as E. Moore 
Dodrill says, puts all of his power into his short at- 
tractive song, which is repeated at short intervals. He 
is a permanent resident and gives us good^cheer during 
February and March when song birds are not very plen- 
tiful. 

June 9th is not a very good time to observe the flow- 
ers between Bolair and Webster Springs. The trailing 
arbutus made the roadside very attractive during a part 
of April and May. This most beautiful, yet unassum- 
ing little flower, was the first seen by the Pilgrim 
Fathers on the hills about Plymouth and was called 
by them the May flower, because it first appeared in 
that month. The mountain honeysuckle blooms in the 



AND Other Impkints. 209 

month of May. I think ''fire busli'' would be a very 
appropriate name for this shrub whose golden flowers 
make it look like a bush on lire. The roadsides were 
then lined with this most beautiful Hower in every 
shade of yellow and orange. A poet like Wordsworth 
could have written a poem about them that would ex- 
cel his "Daffodils." They usually grow in moist ground 
and are called swamp honeysuckles, but here they are 
not confined to this kind of land but grew all over the 
sides of the hills, even along the driest portion of ex- 
posed rocks where a little detritus has collected. They 
are also found along the margin of the rivers. 

The locust was in bloom at the same time as the 
honeysuckle, and the pretty white flowers made a pleas- 
ing contrast with the yellow flowers of the little honey- 
suckle that grew by its side. The locust towered forty 
or fifty feet above its tiny neighbor but the little bush 
attracted more attention because of its flowers of such 
gorgeous hues and so large in comparison with its 
stately neighbor. 

But very few of our nature students in Webster 
county have thought it worth while to examine the flower 
of the poplar. It does not attract very much attention 
because it is so high. The poplar was in full bloom on 
the above mentioned date. The only squirrel seen on 
the trip was one that made a hurried leap from one of 
these trees, where he had been rifling the tulip-shaped 
flowers of their nectar, which rightfully belonged to the 
honey bee. Many flowers strewed the ground, which 
had been cut off by him. In a few weeks the chestnut 
will be in bloom and these cream colored flowers will 
make the forest most beautiful, as there are many 



210 MoccAsix Tracks 

cliestuut trees yet remaining even where the mill man 
lias been located. The sour gum will be next in order 
and the girls can string these small bell-shaped flowers 
together and play the role of the queen of the May, al- 
though the month will be July or August. The bass- 
wood tree will be in bloom at the same time as the chest- 
nut, but there are few trees of this species in the Sand 
run country. On the Elk side this tree is very com- 
mon. The dogwood made these hills especially at- 
tractive about the time the trailing arbutus was in 
bloom. The flowers of many different hues bloom along 
the wayside leading from Bolair to Webster Springs. 
These little plants with their modest flowers are the true 
"Babes of the Woods.'' My mother, many years ago, 
showed me two tiny stars in the southern part of the 
sky and told me an old legend of two lost children in 
the forest. The two babies when dark came upon them 
nestled in each others arms and mother said that God 
protected them and that he afterwards placed two little 
stars in the heavens to represent them. The larger stars 
represent the trees under whose boughs they found 
shelter. This story came to my mind as I stopped to 
examine a trillium which had bloomed after its brothers 
and sisters had departed perhaps to bloom in another 
world. Who knows? 

The mountain laurel, thought by many flower lovers 
to be one of the most beautiful flowers, blooms in late 
May and early June. The large pink clusters of flowers 
are very pretty. The shrub is quite plentiful in Webster, 
where it grows in the most rocky and sterile ground. 

The big laurel, or rhododendron, the state flower of 
West Virginia, will bloom the latter part of June. It 



AND Other Imprints. 211 

is a general favorite. Tlie flowers are larger than those 
of the mountain laurel and when growing close together 
these bushes make a rugged hillside have the appearance 
of a flower garden. 

From April to late November when the frost king 
has laid his mailed hand on all plants these "Babes of 
the Woods'^ can be found along the road I traveled this 
June morning : wake robins, Indian pipes, and butter- 
cups ; bloodroots, wild geraniums and lady-slippers ; yel- 
low star grass, blue star grass and wood sorrel; downy 
phlox, Jacks in the pulpit, and wood betony; violets 
(white, yellow and blue), golden ragwort, bluets, and 
rattlesnake weed; wild spikenard, Solomon's seal and 
wind flowers ; golden rods, asters, and milk pokes, each 
in its season. Who can deny the fact that God has 
given us a most beautiful world when he understands 
the reason why He has given us such beautiful and at- 
tractive things as birds and flowers. 

Keep your ears and eyes open and you will soon learn 
and understand this! most important and beai^iful 
lesson. 



THE STORK^S VISIT. 

The following telegram was written on the morning 
of June 20th, 1913, and was given to Hon. S. C. Bur- 
dette, of Charleston, and was read by him in a mass 
meeting at the Court House in Webster Springs in the 
afternoon at the Semi-Centennial exercises : 

Wheeling, W. Va., 
June 20, 1863. 
To "Little Eattlesnake BilF' :— 

Born unto Uncle Sam and Mrs. Virginia, a daugh- 
ter. This is the latest addition to a very numerous 
family, the eldest of whom is Kentucky, which was 
soon followed by Tennessee. Mrs. Virginia became fos- 
ter mother to Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wis- 
consin and Minnesota. This late arrival caused quite 
a commotion in the family of Uncle Sam. 

As usual on such an eventful occasion, there was 
much discussion and speculation as to what name the 
youngster should bear. After a family consultation in 
which such names as Kanawha, Vandalia, Trans-Alle- 
ghany and Augusta had been freely discussed, it was 
decided to christen the lusty baby West Virginia. 

Uncle Sam, who has been somewhat indisposed for 
the last two years, is now convalescent; mother and 
child are doing nicely. 

(Signed) BEOTEIIE JONATHAN, M. D. 



SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF WEST VIRGINIA. 
JUNE 20, 1913. 

This is the fiftieth birthday of West Virginia. On 
June 20, 1863, a new star was added to the American 
constellation and the then little mountain state proudly 
took her place in the official family of Uncle Sam. 

Formed as a separate state at a time in which the 
United States was engaged in a great civil war, and 
under the most inauspicious circumstances, that star 
has increased in brilliancy .until West Virginia has be- 
come one of the most prosperous states in the American 
Union. 

The intellectual development has kept pace with the 
material progress of the state, and to-day a liberal edu- 
cation is in reach of each of her sons and daughters. 
Fifty years ago free schools were almost unknown in 
West Virginia. To-day free schools are to be found in 
every neighborhood of the state. High schools were 
unknown. To-day they number one hundred and forty- 
two and are rapidly increasing in number. The State 
University, at Morgantown, is doing a great work in vo- 
cational and professional training. Denominational 
schools of high standing are doing their full share in 
the great ^educational awakening that is abroad in our 
land. 

The geographical position of West Virginia is most 
desirable, occupying an intermediate place between the 
extreme cold of the north and the tropical heat of the 
south. It is the most northern of the southern states 
and the most southern of the northern states; it is the 
most western of the eastern states and the most eastern 



214 Moccasin Teacks 

of the western states; its people do not belong to the 
type of any one section of the Union, but is a harmo- 
nio'Us blending of each. A larger percentage of the pop- 
ulation belongs to the old Revolutionary stock than is 
to be found in any other state. The late Virgil A. 
Lewis, the historian, speaks of these people as being 
a large brained, raw-boned people who have subdued 
the forests, driven back the Indians, and established 
civilization in the Trans-Alleghany regions. 

The spurs of the Alleghany mountains are plenti- 
fully supplied with valuable minerals and their surface 
is covered with the most valuable commercial varieties 
of timber. West Virginia takes a high rank among 
her sister states of the republic in the production of 
petroleum, coal, gas, and lumber. Thousands of peo- 
ple depend upon these industries for a livelihood. 

While West Virginia has not usually been considered 
an agricultural state, more than two-thirds of the pop- 
ulation are engaged in the cultivation of the soil, and 
rich harvests are being gathered by those who farm in- 
telligently. A better day for the agriculturist has 
dawned. Scientific methods are displacing the old 
fashioned, hap-hazard ways of our fathers. Young 
men are studying in agricultural schools, and boys are 
forming corn clubs; the rapid railroad development 
has brought the town and the factory to the farmer's 
door, and the prevailing high price of farm products 
is stimulating production. 

When we consider the short period of time that has 
elapsed since the first settlements were made in our 
state, we are most agreeably surprised at the great pro- 



AND Other Imprints. 215 

gress made. When the New England states had at- 
tracted the attention of Europe by their great progress 
in education and commerce, the foot of civilized man 
had scarcely trod the region now occupied by West Vir- 
ginia. Soon after the first pioneers had reported the 
extreme fertility of the soil of the hills and valleys, 
people from Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New 
York and the faraway New England states hastened to 
this Eldorado of the west. Their offspring, a hardy 
race of men, has always espoused their country's cause 
and has taken a distinguished part in each of the wars 
that has been waged since, besides defending their 
homes from savage warfare. 

The very atmosphere of these rugged mountains seem 
congenial to human development, progress and freedom. 
During slavery days but few of the black race were held 
in bondage, and the motto of the state, "Mountaineers 
are always free,^' is very appropriate. 

West Virginia is a child of the great Civil War and 
many battles were fought on her soil. The state was 
baptized in the blood of many brave soldiers who up- 
held the cause of the Union or that of the Confederate 
States. Thirty thousand men joined the Federal army 
and seven thousand the Confederate. This was a large 
proportionate number when compared with the sparse 
population of the state. 

West A'irginia has produced many eminent men. 
Among this great number may be mentioned James 
Rumsey, of Shepherdstown, who invented the first 
steamboat in 1784. He is the only American buried 
in Westminster Abbey where repose England's great 
men. 



216 MoccAsix Tracks 

Philip Doddridge, the statesman and orator, was the 
descendant of an illustrious family of pioneers. He 
attracted national attention as a member of the Vir- 
ginia Constitutional Convention of 1829 and as a United 
States senator from Virginia during the formative pe- 
riod of our National history. 

Archibald Campbell, who said to Roscoe Conkling 
that he carried his sovereignty under his own hat, has 
left his imprint on journalism in West Virginia. 

Thomas J. Jackson, the hero of Bull Run, and one of 
the greatest military leaders in the Civil War, was born 
in central West Virginia. 

Alexander Campbell, of Brooke county, was a noted 
scholar and theologian. He was the founder of the 
Church of the Disciples and of Bethany College, which 
is now one of our leading institutions of learning. 

Jesse L. Eeno, who gave his life for the Union cause 
at the battle of South Mountain, occupied the highest 
rank of any Federal officer who fell in battle. This 
list could be extended to almost every field of human 
endeavor. Men have gone out from this state into other 
fields of labor and have made good in their chosen pro- 
fessions. 

The men who erected the territory between the Al- 
leghany mountains and the Ohio river into a sovereign 
state have all passed away. The Pierponts, the Willeys, 
the Boremans, the Van Winkles, the Stephensons, and 
the Hubbards live in the pages of our state history. A 
second and a third generation have come upon the stage 
of action. Much has been accomplished, yet much more 
remains to be done. The state cannot progress on past 
acliievement, strand thouo'h it may be. 



AND Other Imprints. 217 

The future welfare depends upon the present genera- 
tion. The signs of the times indicate many needed 
reforms. Two of them are a cessation of corrupt prac- 
tices in public life and an electorate that can neither be 
bought nor sold. The time is not far distant in the 
past when men would sell their ' votes with impunity. 
But to-day it is the lower classes of society that furnish 
the purchasable vote^ and this class is growing less year 
by year. Political parties and candidates for office are 
responsible to a greater degree for this condition of 
affairs than the voters themselves. As long as bribes 
are offered there will be bribe takers. There will be 
conditions in the life of a voter that he thinks mitigates 
the crime of selling his manhood. This practice is 
striking at the very fountain head of all popular gov- 
ernments. It must be eradicated or modern republics 
will share the fate of ancient ones. 

The boys must be taught the sacredness of the ballot. 
They must be made to understand that while the right of 
suffrage is one of the greatest privileges accorded a free 
born American citizen, and that it is not like so much 
merchandise to be bought and sold on market days. 
They must be made to understand that while the right 
to vote is a great privilege it is no less a duty. They 
must be taught to cast their vote without fear or favor 
and that the man who sells his vote is an enemy to so- 
ciety and justly loses his social standing in the com- 
munity in which he resides. 

West Virginia is destined to become at no distant 
date one of the wealthiest states in the Union. She should 
also become a leader in education and morality. Our 
greatest assets are not in coal, oil, gas, lumber and 



218 Moccasin Tbacks 

other natural resources, but in our boys and girls in 
whose hands are soon to be placed the future destiny 
of the state. Let them have the best possible chance 
to get an education, because education is the safeguard 
of the commonwealth. 



BUSINESS AND CIVIC HONESTY. 

An address delivered at Eichwood, April 4, 1910, in 
the Presbyterian Church, under the auspices of the 
Zeta Beta Society. 



West Virginians, who have gone away from home, 
have often heard their state referred to as the "Little 
Mountain State." This appellation is a misnomer be- 
cause West Virginia is little in nothing that makes a 
state great. West Virginia is almost one-half the area 
of all the New England states combined. It ranks 
third among the states in the production of coal, and it 
has a sufficient quantity of these black diamonds, if 
converted into heat, to make perpetual summer in the 
frigid regions of the North Pole. West Virginia ranks 
third in the production of petroleum and it has enough 
of this fluid to oil the machinery of the solar system. 
West Virginia has timber enough if sawed into boards 
to fence the universe, and gas in sufficient quantities to 
supply all the politicians, story tellers and public speak- 
ers of the world. 

Nicholas is often referred to as a backwoods county. 
With its great wealth of timber and coal, and its graz- 
ing and agricultural possibilities one is informed by the 
would-be pessimist that no large cities are located with- 
in its borders, and that there are no large manufac- 
tories. We answer this objection by saying that Nich- 
olas county produces the finest specimen of manhood 
and womanhood to be found in the world, and if they 
cannot be produced fast enough to supply the demand, 
requisition is made on the best people from other parts 



220 Moccasin Tracks 

of West Virginia and from Oliio^, Pennsylvania, Vir- 
ginia, New York and many other states of the Union. 

We say to the pessimist that Nicholas has Eichwood, 
"The Gem of the Mountains/' in which is located one 
of the largest lumber manufacturing plants in the 
United States; a city that manufactures enough 
leather to make a pair of shoes for every orphan boy 
and girl in America; a city that manufactures enough 
paper to wrap up a Christmas present for every man, 
woman and child in the state; a city that manufactures 
enough carriage hubs to carry all the people of West 
Virginia to a Fourth of July picnic; a city that man- 
ufactures enough clothes pins to fasten the clothes on 
every farmer in Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Mis- 
souri during their fiercest cyclones: a city that can 
boast of the best schools of any city of its size in the 
state of West Virginia; a city of busy, industrious 
people that will not be content until Eichwood reaches 
a higher rank among her sister cities. But with all 
your natural resources; with all your business pros- 
perity; with all your revolving wheels and spindles, 
there is something back of all this that demands your 
careful attention. 

In this great commercial and utilitarian age — an 
age in which competition is strong and active, business 
and professional men, as well as public officials, are too 
apt to smother their conscientious scruples in regard 
to the principles of right and wrong. The paramount 
question in the consideration of any enterprise in which 
they are about to engage is, "Will it pay?'' If, after 
a careful consideration, an affirmative answer to the 
question can be given, the projected business is entered 



AND Other Imprints. 221 

into with earnest zeal without any regard to the prin- 
ciples of honesty and integrity. After its successful 
termination the possession of gold and silver outweighs 
the pangs of a guilty conscience. This is the only 
solace of numberless business men of to-day. 

Ever since the human family emerged from a state 
of savagery it has been but a natural consequence for 
each individual to crave better things; to desire to 
possess something of value that would place himself and 
his dependents above penury and want. It was but 
natural for Abraham, the founder of the Hebrew na- 
tion, after he had come nito the possession of vast flocks 
and other valuables, to buy a burial ground where he 
and his loved ones could rest in peace after life had 
come to an end. No one can deny this God-given right 
of acquiring wealth and surrounding one's self and his 
family with the necessaries, as well as the luxuries of 
this life. But the manner in which these things_ are 
acquired is the business of the officers who execute the 
laws. In the great race for wealth, honor and position, 
one should be guided by the teachings of religion and 
morality, and in the words of the Great Teacher, "All 
things whatsoever that men should do to you, do ye 
even so to them," should be the oriflamme around which 
all public, business and professional men should rally. 
If a business man takes advantage of the ignorance 
of a customer as to the value of any article offered for 
sale, he fails in the fulfillment of business ethics. Does 
anything of value bring real pleasure and happiness to 
its possessor who has used unfair means in its acquisi- 
tion without any regard to moral rectitude and the eth- 



222 Moccasin Tracks 

ics of business? This is a question whose answer is so 
obvious that it need not be given. 

it has been said that excessive riches are almost as 
intolerable as extreme poverty. This, in the main, is 
not true, but the assertion is based on the fact that 
riches alone do not bring contentment, pleasure and 
happiness. It has also been said that few, if any, of 
the great American millionaires gained their wealth by 
legitimate business methods. Ill-gotten gains and an 
easy conscience are incompatible. They, like oil and 
water, are hostile properties. They will not mix. The 
conscience is like Banquo's ghost, it will not down. 
Solomon, the wisest man of Biblical times, said, "Give 
me neither poverty nor riches." He recognized the 
burdensome character of these extreme worldly condi- 
tions. This wise moralist had in mind a middle state 
or condition; a competency, or enough to place one in 
an independent position. This middle state is the 
happy medium between the two great extremes. Enough 
of this Avorld's goods to make one's life pleasant and 
happy; a sufficiency for recreation, pleasure and char- 
ity, and enough leisure time for the cultivation of the 
mind. 

Wealth, or riches, is a comparative term. In this 
strenuous age millionaires only are thought to be rich, 
while a few years ago men who possessed a few thou- 
sands of dollars w^ere said to be wealthy. It is not the 
aggregation of wealth that brings happiness, but the 
manner in which it is acquired and the way in which 
it is used. 

An old adage, "Honesty is the best policy," is often 
quoted by ministers, moralists and teachers. One should 



AND Other Imprints. 223 

not be honest merely because it is right, but because it 
is the safest and the surest road to ultimate business 
success. 

The wealthy are too often censured for crooked meth- 
ods and the small dealers overlooked when they commit 
a similar olfense. The farmer who sells a bushel of 
corn or a bushel of wheat that does not consist of four 
full pecks; the grocer who sells a pound of colfee or a 
pound of sugar that does not consist of sixteen honest 
ounces; the dry goods merchant who sells a yard of 
calico or a yard of silk that is not three feet in length; 
the lumber dealer who substitutes an inferior board for 
a first class one, and the business man who short- 
changes a customer is just as guilty of wrong doing as 
the United hStates Steel Corporation when it placed 
watered stock on the market, or the Arbuckle Brothers^ 
Sugar Company when it short weighed its consignment 
of sugar and thereby cheated the United States govern- 
ment out of millions of dollars in custom duties. It 
did not in any way mitigate the offense when this com- 
pany atempted to make restitution by refunding a part 
of the ill-gotten profits when caught in the nefarious 
act. 

If any one doubts that honesty is not the best busi- 
ness policy let him visit the Federal prison at Atlanta, 
Georgia, and interrogate Charles W. Morse, the once 
great "Ice King" of New England and New York, who 
entered the great whirl-pool of frenzied finance and 
lost sight of every principle of right and justice. He 
strictly adhered to the get-rich-quick idea without any 
regard to manner or method. As president of the ice 
trust he forced up the price of ice in the city of New 



224 Moccasin Tijacks 

York until it was beyond the means of thousands of 
tiie suttering poor. He coined into money the suffering 
of many poor but honest men, women and children. 
His ships were sailing, on every sea; he could have 
signed his check for millions and it would have been 
honored by any banker in Wall Street. He was one 
of the rich men of the nation, and, if there be happi- 
ness in riches, he was thrice happy; but a day of reck- 
oning was at hand ; he had sowed the wind and now he 
must reap the whirlwind; his blood money took wings 
and flew away; in order to regain his waning for- 
tune he transgressed the criminal law, and now he 
languishes upon a felon's bed, dressed in the character- 
istic garb of a common malefactor, wdth no one so 
mean as to do him homage. 

If this evidence is not conclusive let the investigator 
after truth visit the Illinois state prison and inquire 
for one John R. Walsh, the once noted Chicago banker 
and financier, who robbed wddows and orphans of 
money deposited in the bank of Avhich he Avas president. 
This man at one time lived like a prince in one of the 
fashionable streets of Chicago, but he was caught in the 
toils of the law^ and now he is numbered among the 
prison population of the country. 

A^isit the Ohio state prison, at Columbus, and ask 
Charles Warringer, ex-president of the Big Four Rail- 
road, if honesty is not the best business policy. He, too, 
is reaping that which he sowed. These three men alone 
are not the only sufferers because of their dishonesty in 
business. A wife and children, yes, perhaps a father 
and mother are partakers of their shame and degrada- 
tion. Manv others who have been but recently accused 



AND Other Imprints. •^;^5 

i^an not be interrogated. Some did not have the man- 
hood to face the shame of their own making and wor- 
ried themselves into untimely graves. Others by their 
own hand have ushered themselves into that realm from 
whence none returns. Most assuredly the way of the 
business transgressor is hard. Clean, business meth- 
ods, open ■ and above board, should be the watch-word 
of every young man who enters into. any business. Hon- 
esty is his best asset. Men of wealth will learn to trust 
him, and he slowly mounts the ladder of success, round 
by round, gaining steadfast footing as he moves on- 
ward. 

The safe and sane business man has nothing to do 
with get-rioh-quick methods and reckless speculations. 
These belong to the race track, the monte bank, and 
the common gambler. 

Business and professional men, who are honest and 
who believe that honesty should be taken into their ev- 
ery day business affairs, are taking a firm stand in de- 
fense of their convictions. Clubs and societies through- 
out the length and breadth of the land are doing a 
noble work in trying to awaken the public in regardl 
to wrong-doing. The same principles of honesty that 
should govern the business man should control the ac- 
tions of all public officials from, the lowest grade of 
municipal officers to the highest in both state and na- 
tion. 

William H, Taft, president of the United States^ 
and Joseph H. Cannon, speaker of the House of Eepre- 
sentatives, are no less amenable to the public will than 
is your honorable mayor, Samuel C. Dotson, and L. A. 
Thomas, justice of the peace of Beaver district. The 



226 MoccAsi^r Tracks 

time has passed in Nicholas county^ and more especially 
in the town of Kichwood, when men, who call them- 
selves Democrats and Eepublicans, will vote a party 
ticket simply because it has been endorsed by party 
leaders. Clean methods in the administration of mu- 
nicipal affairs in accordance with the wishes of the best 
citizens is in harmony with the saying of Lycurgus, the- 
Grecian law-giver, that, "A city built upon a rock and 
rightly governed is better than all foolish Nineveh/' 
We have heard in the past few years much said about 
graft, monopoly, trusts, and business and official cor- 
ruption. These allegations have been proven in open 
court. Is this because the American people have become 
more corrupt than formerly? I cannot entertain for a 
single moment an affirmative answer to* this question. 
I believe that the percent of honesty among the Ameri- 
can people of to-day is as great as it was in the younger 
days of the republic, when Washington, Adams, Jeffer- 
son, Madison and Monroe were the principal actors in 
the national drama. It is but an awakening of the dor- 
mant conscience of the American people. During the 
younger days of the republic representatives, senators 
and judges were tried for offenses against the people 
committed while in office. At that time but few news- 
papers were in existence and their circulation was ver}^ 
limited. But to-day, with our multiplicity of newspa- 
pers, wrong-doing is advertised to a greater extent than 
formerly. A newspaper of accredited ability is to be 
found in almost every home. These periodicals discuss 
the official acts of public servants without fear or favor. 
Even the president is not immune from this criticism. 
This freedom of the press, rightly used, is the safe- 



AND Other Imprints. 227 

guard the republic. The official acts of President 
Taft concern every man, woman and child in the na- 
tion, regardless of politics or religion. 

The citizens of the United States are the rulers and 
they decide the policies of the government. They are 
responsible for the manner in which the laws are exe- 
cuted. Since my first visit to your city I have heard 
the theory of municipal government discussed from its 
various standpoints. There is now a tendency to hold 
the officers of a city government to a stricter accounta- 
bility than in former years. The people of Richwood 
are responsible for the manner in which the town is 
governed. The legislature of the state has thrown 
around you every possible safeguard for your protec- 
tion. Home rule is fully recognized. If you have of- 
ficers who do not conform to the rules and regulations 
of the town, the remedy is in your own hands. They 
can be prosecuted for both misfeasance and malfeasance 
while in office. They can be replaced at the end of the 
year by a new set of officials. 

I do not think it is right for a physician to keep a 
patient in bed for an indefinite time, simply for the 
sake of a fee for professional services. I do not think 
it is right for a lawyer to accept a fee from both par- 
ties in a law-suit. While he may think he has the 
ability to represent both sides in the case he can be true 
to neither, and moreover, he has done an injustice to 
a brother attorney whom he has cheated out of a fee. 
Xeither do I think it right for a school teacher to 
enter into a contract with two sets of trustees for 
schools that are to begin on the same day, although he 



228 Moccasin Tracks 

sees liis way- out of the difficulty by giving one scliool 
to a brother teacher I'or a pecuniary consideration. 

These principles that have been discussed are the 
basic ones that underlie our business, professional, 
moral and religious institutions of to-day, and upon 
them they must either stand or perish. 

The outcome of the long struggle between the regular 
Eepublicans and the insurgents is an object lesson to 
the American people. The day of one-man power in 
popular government has passed. This is a government of 
the people, and for the people, as was declared by the 
immortal Lincoln nearly fifty years ago. The over- 
throw of Speaker Cannon and his autocratic power is 
an uplift for the entire country. 

The people are the rulers and if the majority does 
not get what they want the fault is not with the rulers, 
but the voters. Let every patriotic American citizen 
vote for the best interests of himself and that of his 
neighbors and the future welfare of the people will be 
secure. Let men be men, and not barter away their po- 
litical birthright on election day for a few paltry dol- 
lars. Let them vote for men tried and true and de- 
mand of these men an impartial administration of jus- 
tice between man and man, and many of the abuses 
that have crept into our city, county, state and national 
governments will speedily disappear. 

Cambonne, a French general, at the disastrous battle 
of Waterloo said, "The Old Guard dies but it never 
surrenders." So it is with the upright citizen. He may 
be out-voted, and in the minority, but he must not for 
a moment think of surrendering his cherished princi- 



AND Other Imprints. 329 

pies, which he believes to be right. It has been said 
that eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. Never in 
the history of the United States has there been a time 
that demanded greater diligence than the present. There 
is an apparent conflict between capital and labor and it 
must be settled and settled right. Patriotism is 
stronger than politics — yes, it is stronger than dollars 
and cents. When amidst the seeming breakers of of- 
ficial graft, corruption and class hatred the grand Old 
Ship of State that has had in the past for her com- 
manders such noble men as Washington, Jefferson, 
Jackson, Lincoln and McKinley, sails grandly into the 
harbor of safety, she will receive the hearty plaudits 
of a hundred million American citizens. 



AN ORATION DELIVERED AT RICH- 
WOOD, JULY 4, 1909. 

I am greatly pleased to be greeted by such a mag- 
nificent audience as we assemble to celebrate the Eourth 
of July in a place where but a few years ago was a pri- 
meval forest^ scarcely touched by the hand of man, and, 
where less than two score years ago a public speaker 
would have had for his auditors the stately trees and 
the wild birds of the forest, and, perhaps, in close prox- 
imity could be found such wild animals as the bear, 
the folf, the panther, and the deer. The murmur of 
the water of Cherry river hastening onward to kiss in 
friendly greetings the water of the Gauley; the sigh- 
ing of the wind in the tree tops, and the carol of the 
birds would have been his only music. The plaintive 
notes of the whippoorwill would have lulled him to re- 
pose, if, perchance, he had not been startled by the 
blood-curdling scream of a panther. 

But these primitive conditions have passed away. A 
city of busy, prosperous, and contented people has come 
into existence, and the music of nature has been suc- 
ceeded by the music of brass bands and by the hum of 
the busy wheels of industry. The Cherry valley is do- 
ing its full share towards the restoration of normal 
business conditions. 

The rapid development of this locality during the 
past ten years speaks volumes for American manhood 
and the dignity of American labor when backed by 
American capital and guided by American business sa- 
gacity. Richwood, the gem of the mountains, may she 
continue to grow* and prosper, and in the near future 



AND Other Imprints. 'tol 

may she become the seat of justice ol the new county 
of Armstrong. 

Mr. Chairman, this is the natal day of the United 
States. In Phihidelphia, the "City of Brotherly Love/' 
one hundred and thirty-three years ago this nation was 
born. It was the first time in the history of the world 
in which a nation was born in a day. Empires, king- 
doms and principalities each celebrate the -birth of roy- 
alty, the coronation of kings, and their jubilees. But 
the United States celebrates none of these. The Fourth 
of July is celebrated not in recognition of the birth of 
a royal personage, but in the recognition of the birth 
of a nation recognizing the rights of the common peo- 
ple. The origin of most other governments is lost in 
the obscurity of time. But enough is known of the 
history of the older governments to convince any one 
that they arose from accident, and were moulded by 
circumstances without any preconcerted action by their 
original framers and promoters, and generally without 
any view of the happiness or the best interests of the 
governed. 

The first government of which we have any" account 
was patriarchal in form — a government in which the 
father ruled his immediate descendants. This form 
degenerated into the despotic governments of the Ori- 
ent of one hundred years ago. The ancient republics 
were established by the expulsion of tyrants Avho had 
usurped authority. Little thought was given to the 
rights of the people, and the prerogatives of govern- 
ment were often kept in the hands of the men who 
succeeded them. During the third and fourth centuries 



232 Moccasin Tracks 

of our era the barbarians of the North conquered the 
provinces of the Roman Empire and in order to protect 
themselves the military leader was usually proclaimed 
king. 

It was reserved for our immediate ancestors to estab- 
lish a government by the people in which they were 
interested, and in which all power emanated from them, 
and in which government depends entirely upon them 
for support. 

In ancient times it did not enter into the minds of 
the rulers to perpetuate their names by noble deeds 
and generous actions toward their subjects, but during 
their reigns vast armies of laborers were employed in 
building pyramids or other structures to perpetuate 
their names and achievements. They were remembered 
in stone, in brick, in marble, and in bronze, which are 
silent reminders of departed glory. The name of 
Cheops, the Egyptian Pharaoh, the builder of the 
greatest of the pyramids, on the banks of the Nile, 
would have passed into oblivion had not a workman in 
an idle moment written the name of the builder on one 
of the inner walls. The same may be said of-Mauso- 
lus, king of Cairo, had not an affectionate wife erected 
a magnificent tomb, called the Mausoleum, to his 
memory. This structure became one of the seven 
wonders of the ancient world. In the course of time 
every vestige of these works of art will have crumbled 
to dust, and the names of the builders will linger only 
in the minds of the antiquarian, the historian and the 
student of archaeolog}'. 

But this is not true in regard to the American pa- 



AND Other Imprints. 233 

triats who founded this nation and made it possible for 
us to enjoy entire political and religious freedom. Wil- 
liam Penn, Koger Williams, Lord Baltimore, Patrick 
Henry, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, to- 
gether with a host of other patriotic men, did not write 
their names on tables of stone or bronze, but by un- 
selfish devotion to the cause of humanity, engraved 
them on the table of men^s hearts. Their names will 
be revered by all liberty-loving peoples in all countries 
and in all ages. The Declaration of Independence is 
a monument to those who signed it as. enduring as the 
eternal stars of heaven. 

They gave us a government founded upon the prin- 
ciple of the equality of all persons before the law ; upon 
the principle that all governments are instituted for the 
good of the governed and not for the personal aggran- 
dizement of the rulers; upon the principle that all au- 
thority of government emanates directly from the peo- 
ple; upon justice and the teachings of the Bible. 

Having these principles of government in mind, we 
should remember that the greatness of a nation does 
not depend upon the extent of its territory, but upon 
the individual worth of the people composing the na- 
tion. This government, made possible by the Declara- 
tion of Independence, which was sustained by the con- 
tinental army under the leadership of the immortal 
Washington, ably assisted by his noble generals, is a 
rich heritage left us of the twentieth century. 

It is not my purpose to-day to speak of the virtues 
and the achievements of the men who established this 
republic. Their deeds are recorded in the pages of 
American history and are known to every one : but it 



234 Moccasin Tracks 

is rather my purpose tO' give a word of friendly counsel 
in regard to the present and future conditions* of so- 
ciety in this country. This heritage of which I spoke 
is ours to enjoy, but we do not hold it in fee, but in 
trust — it must be neither bought nor sold. It must be 
passed on to the succeeding generations, by us unsul- 
lied and untarnished. We owe this obligation to the 
men who have given so freely of their treasure and 
their blood — yea, of life itself, to make this a free na- 
tion; we owe it to future generations yet unborn; we 
owe it to ourselves because each of us is responsible for 
the manner in which the government is administered. 
Of what does this heritage consist? It consists of 
the very principles that have been in contention on 
every great battlefield of the world from the time in 
which the Persian cohorts invaded Greece to the battles 
of our own American Revolution. It consists of the 
right to be free and unmolested as long as our actions 
do not come in conflict with the rights of others. It 
recognizes man's position in society, and gives him the 
right to the fruits of his honest toil. It recognizes no 
class or condition in society, and the son of the hum- 
blest citizen may hope to occupy the highest position 
in the gift of the people if he has but prepared himself 
for this honorable office. It gives us the right of free 
speech, and the right of a free press as long as we do 
not use these privileges to harm others. It gives us 
the right to, be secure in our persons and in our prop- 
erty from unlawful search and seizure. It gives us the 
right to be free from military tyranny — all the rights, 
in fact, that makes man free and independent, answer- 



AND Other Imprints. 235 

able only to law when he has transgressed upon the 
rules which he assisted in making. 

But each of these rights is coupled with a duty, and 
if we are to fully enjoy these rights, and leave them 
unsullied to our successors, these duties or obligations 
must be fulfilled. What are some of the duties of an 
American citizen? I would answer that one of his 
first duties is to vote. While this is one of the highest 
privileges or rights under a free government it is no 
less a duty. If the conscientious citizen fail to cast 
his vote, unprincipled men will usurp the powers ^of 
government, and its benefits will pass beyond the con- 
trol of those who have the best interests of the state 
and nation at heart. Political parties are essential in 
all free governments to carry into effect the desires of 
the majority of the people, but partisan politics as ma- 
nipulated to-day is the bane of society. The man who 
votes a political ticket in local affairs simply because 
the persons for whom he votes are of the same political 
faith as himself, without any regard to their fitness for 
these positions, is an enemy to good government. What 
shall I say of the man who sells his vote ? He not only 
sells his own political birthright and those who live 
contemporaneonsly with him, but he sells the political 
birthright of future generations. Two of the greatest 
enemies of free government have been military tyranny 
and a corrupt electorate. I have no hesitancy in say- 
ing that the man who sells his vote should be disfran- 
chised. All public officials should be diligent in the 
enforcement of the law against vote selling. The of- 
ficers whose duty is to enforce this law should have the 
hearty cooperation of all law-abiding citizens. The 



236 Moccasin Tracks 

very life blood of the nation is being sapped by this 
pernicious and contemptible practice. 

It is the duty of all persons to pay their taxes. Good 
citizens will not try to evade this plain, bounden duty. 
It is the means by which the wheels of government are 
kept in motion. It is the duty of all citizens to obey 
the laws under which they live, to see that all laws are 
faithfully executed, and to assist the officers in enforc- 
ing them. If an unjust law be placed in our statutes, 
the best means to adopt with reference to its repeal is 
ta rigidly enforce it. It is the duty of a citizen to pro- 
tect public property. All public buildings cost money 
which is collected from the people by means of taxation, 
and all public-spirited citizens will see that property is 
not defaced, and that it be given the proper care for its 
preservation. 

It is the duty of all citizens to defend their country. 
It does not fall to the young men of each generation 
to fight the battles of their country under the inspiring 
colors of the Stars and Stripes, but when this oppor- 
tunity has come there has been such response that the 
nations of Europe were greatly surprised. The young 
men of this generation are no less patriotic than former 
ones. How may one defend his country besides fight- 
ing her battles? By voting without fear or favor for 
men whom he thinks will act from principle and will 
administer the laws to the best interests of all the peo- 
ple. To pay his taxes; to obey the laws, and to assist 
in enforcing them; to protect public property and to 
be public spirited. If each of these duties be honestly 
performed, one becomes a real defender of his country. 
This IS a sflorious eountrv in which we live. It is 



AND Other Imprints. 237 

good to be an American citizen. It was said in the first 
century of our era that it was a greater honor to be a 
Eoman citizen tlian to be king of any other country. 
If this oould be said of Roman citizens, what can be 
said of the lionor of being a free American citizen in 
this, the twentieth century? 

One hundred years ago, it was thought that the 
United States could not expand beyond the Mississippi 
river. The distance was so great that the powers of 
government would neither be felt nor recognized. But 
by the invention of the steamboat, the telegraph, the 
telephone, and the building of railroads the conditions 
have changed, and the United States has expanded be- 
yond the American continent. There are three ways 
by which messages may be sent in a very short space of 
time from New York to San Francisco : telegraph, 
telephone, or tell a woman. Now, Mr. Chairman, as I 
am a bachelor, and as an apology to the Richwood girls, 
I will say that this thought is not original with me, 
but I Ij^eard a Methodist preacher use it at Cbwen not 
long since. 

May the United States continue to grow and prosper ; 
may she be a leader and a guide for all the civilized 
nations of the world. May the state of West Virginia 
continue to be one of the brightest stars in the Ameri- 
can constellation of states. May Richwood grow until 
she becomes the chief city of the state, and may she be 
a leader in patriotic devotion to the Stars and Stripes, 
and in morals, education, and religion. 



SCHOOL ROOM SMILES. 

But few, if any, of the so-called school room jokes 
published in the comic papers had their origin in the 
school room. They were written by a penny-a-liner 
and seldom have the marks of probability. Many ludi- 
crous mistakes do occur in all schools. Many such have 
occurred during the thirty-three years 1 have spent in 
teaching. No notes were taken at the time and many 
can not be recalled at this time. 

In a school taught in Nicholas county many years 
ago, a little girl w^as reading the "Lord's Prayer" writ- 
ten in verse. When she came to the couplet, "0 give 
to us daily our portion of bread, It is from thy bounty 
that all must be fed," she read with great deliberation, 
'^0 give to us daily our pone of bread. It is from thy 
bounty that all must be fed." 

A boy of seven years was reading the lesson about 
bees in the Second Reader. One paragraph speaks 
about bees being very busy little creatures. His version 
was, "Bees are very buzzy little creatures.'^ This mis- 
take is pardonable when it is remembered that bees are 
both buzzy and busy. 

In another school the pupils had been taught to di- 
vide a word into as many syllables as there are vocal 
sounds contained in it. The plan worked very well 
until a boy in the fourth grade was reading "The No- 
blest Revenge." He came to the word Stephen, which 
was a new one to him and he proceeded to apply the 
rule. It did not work very well in this instance for he 
pronounced it "Step-hen." -The teacher came to the 



AND Other Imprints. 239 

conclusion that the rule needed revision along certain 
lines. 

A Webster county girl ot six, who had been taught 
to read by the word and sentence method, made most 
excellent progress in the First Reader. She came to 
the lesson about the dog Fido sitting in a chair with a 
hat on his head. The lesson was read by the teacher 
and the new words pointed out. When called upon to 
recite, the lesson was read correctly until the last sen- 
tence was reached. It was at that point that the trou- 
ble occurred. The sentence is, "When school is out I 
will try to teach him some other tricks." This is the 
way the little girl read it: "When school is out I will 
try to teach him some sense." It is needless to say that 
the mistake was not pointed out that day. 

Here is a joke on the teacher in which he, for ob- 
vious reasons, did not join in the inevitable smile. It 
occurred in a Training School at Haynes (now called 
Dyer) twenty-four years ago. A class of young men 
and women were reading "It Snows," a selection found 
in the Fifth Eeader. After several members had read, 
the teacher said that each stanza should be read in a 
different manner in order to express the feelings of 
each character referred to in the poem. "Now, listen," 
said he, "while I read." He selected the stanza that ex- 
pressed the feelings of the society girl when she saw 
the snowflakes falling. He entered fully into the spirit 
of the scene. When he came to the verse, "From her 
mirror to see the flakes fall," he read, "From her mir- 
ror to see the snakes fall." Is it any wonder that the 
teacher did not join in the laugh that followed such a 
ludicrous blunder ? That particular lesson has not been 



240 MoccASiA^ Tii^^CKs 

assigned to a class in a Training School since that time. 
It would be quite an interesting phenomenon to see 
snakes falling from the sky in winter. 

Will and Tom were twins, but by a difference of a 
few hours in their births, their birthdays were not cele- 
brated on the same day. The teacher, who was person- 
ally acquainted with the father and mother, and know- 
ing the peculiar circumstances under which they were 
born, asked Will how old he was. ^'I am seven years 
old,'' said he. "Tom, how old are you?" asked the 
teacher. Tom replied, "I am six years old." "Tom, 
are you and Will twins?" questioned the teacher. 
"Yes," said Tom, "but Will is one year older than I 
am.'' His age was recorded as seven. 

Henry was reading the lesson in the First Eeader 
about the nest of young birds found by Willie and 
Rose. The little girl looked at the birds in great won- 
der and exclaimed, "What big mouths and no feath- 
ers." A smile was the result of this reading: "Wliat 
big mothers and no fathers." This is one of the jokes 
found in comic papers that did occur in the school 
room. 

In reading the story of "The Fish I Didn't Catch," 
a little girl unconsciously gave an attribute to a fish 
that has often been given hy the Angler when he failed 
on several occasions to land one after it was hooked. 
The boy, as spoken of in the lesson, when he hooked a 
fish cried out in great glee to his uncle that he had a 
fish. At that instant it fell into the water and "the 
arrowy gleam of a scared fish was seen darting into the 
middle of the stream." The pupil said that a "sacred" 
fish was seen flartingf into the middle of the stream. 



. AXD Othek Imprints. 24^1 

These school-room smiles are links in a lengthening 
chain that bind the teacher with the past. Each of the 
little folks who made these childish mistakes have long 
since arrived at the estate of manhood and womaidiood. 
Some of them became teachers themselves and have 
often smiled at the mistakes of their pupils. Others 
have engaged in other vocations and are endeavoring 
to fill the position in society to which their education 
and talents entitle them. 

The teacher after a third of a century spent in his 
chosen profession, still treasures in his memory the 
smiles that occurred in the schools that he attended. 
But the frowns and the unkind words spoken in anger 
are not forgotten, but they have long ago lost their 
sharpness and their sting. It is his frowns, his un- 
kind words and his thoughtless actions toward teachers 
and schoolmates that still haunt him. A smile in the 
schoolroom, as well as in the home, is always better 
than a frown. If you can do an act that may lighten 
the burden of any one, do it to-day. Do not wait for 
to-morrow. It may be too late. Smiles are flowers-, 
that brighten the pathway of life. They are good for 
both the giver and the recipient. 



HALLEY'S COMET— A BURLESQUE. 

As other writers ol high and low degree have had au 
inning at Hailey's comet, i liope to be pardoned lor 
taking a tiing at it and casting a stone, so to speal^:, in 
the already troubled waters of astronomical discussion. 

Many direful happenings iiave been prophesied in 
regard to the visit of this mysterious stranger to our 
part of the solar system. AU manner of evil is to hap- 
pen to us poor earth mortals when this mundane sphere 
passes through tlie tail of this leviathan of empyrean 
regions. These forebodings need alarm no one, because 
this is not tlie first time tiiat this grand old world 
of ours, which astronomers call a planet, has had the 
caudal appendage of a comet flaunted in its face. But 
it has gone on still doing business in the same old way 
and at the same old stand as it has been doing since the 
Creator spoke it into existence by His all-powerful com- 
mands. 

We are somewhat comforted by the assurance of those 
who know something of astronomy in general, and 
of comets in particular, that on the day when the crisis 
is expected there will be a distance of about twelve 
millions of miles between the earth and the comet. 
Yet, this is but a small consideration at most when 
measured by the yard-stick of the sky, which is the dis- 
tance between the sun ^ind the earth. 

Now, as to what the result of this meeting will be is 
only problematical or the merest conjecture. Should 
onr globe come in contact with this mysterious visitor 
l)cariiig the name of one of England's most illustrious 
astronomers, there will be "something doing down the 



AND Other Imprints. 243 

pike/' 1 am always loyal to my own country and I 
think the result would be just like that of the little 
Jersey bull that charged the engine of a "Fast Flying 
Virginian" below Clifton Forge not long since. 

The astronomers say that the greatest danger to the 
people who have a temporary abode on this terrestial 
ball is from the comet's tail. This is just the reverse 
of the danger from the animal referred to above. 

The Associated Press sent a message last week from 
Paris, the French capital that sets the fashions for the 
rest of the world, stating that the astronomical solons 
of that distinguished city had discovered a very poison- 
ous gas in tlie wanderer's tail that will kill rats, cats, 
dogs, and other representatives of rodent, feline, and 
canine species of small animals.' I am frank in saying 
that I cannot see my way clear as to which class man, 
the being called the lord of all creation, belongs, but I 
hope he is not included in the list named above. 

If the men who are said to have discovered this 
deleterious gas to all animal life on the earth, had as 
many wheels in their heads as the men and women 
who designed the spring fashion plates for ladies' 
costumes, no attention need be paid the before-men- 
tioned dispatch. 

I must admit that I have no knowledge whatever as 
to the m^eaning of the word used in the telegram des- 
ignating the poison. Modesty forbids any attempt even 
in trying to write the word used by the learned Par- 
isians. 

As far back as last August, and in some isolated 
cases in the preceding April, certain activities among 



244 Moccasin Tkacks 

the old bachelors were noticeable in Webster and ad- 
joining counties. Upon investigation it was found that 
the same conditions existed throughout the United 
States and New Jersey. This activity was the more 
pronounced when the bachelors were in the presence of 
widows, spinsters, and even girls who are sometimes 
called sweet sixteens. This action on the part of men 
who had steeled their hearts against the bewitching in- 
tiuence of the fair sex was something more than a nine 
days' wonder. It remained for an astrologer unknown 
to fame in a remote Oriental country to solve this great 
mystery. He in some mystical way connected this ac- 
tivity of the bachelors with the tail of Halley's comet. 
By searching said comet's caudal appendage with a two 
inch telescope, he discovered certain gases resembling 
ultra violet rays known to exist in the atmosphere of 
the earth. It was easy for him to connect violet rays 
with spring time and the blue, white, and yellow vio- 
lets sometimes called Johnny-jump-ups. The problem 
was then solved. The comet is therefore responsible 
for the courtship and marriage of many heretofore 
hopeless bachelors. This same astrologer predicts in 
his horoscope that all marriages contracted under this 
condition will be especially happy. The wife will be 
dutiful and will not scold when the husband comes in 
late at night from lodge, or when he has had a time 
with the boys. The husband will be loving and indul- 
gent and will cheerfully pay the bill for the latest style 
of the Easter or Merry Widow hat. Should his so- 
called better half come in late from a mothers' meeting, 
he will not scold, but will tell her that baby cried but 



AND Other Imprints. 245 

once during her six hours' absence. The astrologer 
further states that on the next appearance of the above- 
mentioned comet, after an absence of seventy-five years, 
in which it has traveled more than one hundred bil- 
lions of miles, with no other seeming purpose in view 
than to frighten the inhabitants of the different worlds of 
the solar system, the grand-children of these bachelors, 
widows, spinsters, and sweet sixteens, will rise up and 
call the comet blessed because of its having had such 
benign influence upon their great forbears as Eobert 
Burns would say. I will now give you a few concrete 
examples of the wonderful activity among eligible bach- 
elors. The Doctor who has made a reputation in his 
profession that is synonymous with success had been no 
more suspected of a softening of the heart than of hav- 
ing paresis, which is a technical term for softening of 
the brain. But just before the comet's nearest approach 
to the sun he led a blushing bride to the altar of 
Hymen. Had the comet been at one of the remote 
points in the solar system the good Doctor might now 
be living the life of single blessedness. 

The Editor, who has been noted for the past five 
years for his manifested indifference to all the females 
of the species, has of late been seen in the company of 
one of Upshur county's fairest daughters. Only last 
week he was seen on the train at Burnsville. When 
questioned as to his destination he said that he was go- 
ing to Weston on business, but he afterwards admitted 
that he would visit Buckhannon friends before his re- 
turn to Webster Springs. 

The Angler was on the same train. This devotee of 



246 Moccasin Tracks 

piscatorial pursuits has lived unmolested by the girls 
for many years but he told the Editor in the greatest 
confidence that he was just returning from a trip to a 
town down the line. He said that the name of the 
town means peace and harmony. 

The genial Clerk, who has but lately invaded the 
ranks of bachelorhood, left the Springs on the train 
with the Editor for the realms of bliss. The Clerk was 
thought to be on his way to Braxton county to visit a 
little town called Caress. This is or should be a most 
desirable town for all bachelors to visit. 

The good natured Law^^er has again been seen in 
Lover's Lane. It is to be hoped that the- new board 
walk will not break down under his ponderous weight as 
the old one did some months ago. He then solemnly 
vowed that he would never again visit the Lane, but 
under the influence of the violet rays he can most 
readily be pardoned for departing from the road marked 
out for himself. 

It is unnecessary to adduce additional evidence as to 
the effect of the comet on bachelors. 

The ministers are already talking of the great in- 
crease in their matrimonial revenues, and it seems as if 
all the eli.gibles will be married before the comet's final 
disappearance from the vicinity of the earth. 



THE BACHELOR. 

The month of May spent on a trout stream among 
the mountains of West Virginia is an unfailing source 
of pleasure to those who can get close to nature and her 
teachings. All natural objects, both animate and in- 
animate, seem to revel in the bright sunshine. The 
cold winds from the icy north have been succeeded by 
the warm, life-giving winds from the south. A pro- 
fusion of wild flowers deck the hills and valleys. The 
deciduous trees are donning their summer clothes. The 
spruce and the hemlock are now putting forth pale, 
green leaves in pleasing contrast with their winter 
garments. The trout, the monarch of the mountain 
stream, now grown lusty and strong after his long win- 
ters inactivity, is on the alert watching for the unwary 
fly, moth, or bug, that drops near his lair. In his 
eagerness for his prey, he falls an easy, victim to the 
angler's lure. The birds are in full song and in their 
singing there is a suggestion of the orange and the 
palmetto from which they so lately sang during their 
sojourn in the sunny south. It is in a camp on the 
banks of a swift, babbling stream^ amid the surround- 
ings just described that the lover of nature drinks to 
his full from the magical fountain of health sought 
in vain by Ponce de Leon, the old Spanish Cavalier. 

A party of five anglers pitched their tent near the 
mouth of Big Beechy on the Williams last May. Trout 
were in abundance and bear "sigii" was just plentiful 
enough to make a meeting with bruin among the possi- 
bilities. In the party was an attorney well versed in 
the legal lore of Chitty and Blackstone; a theologian 



248 Moccasin Tracks 

who had drunk deep from the wisdom of Solomon and 
Paul; a school teacher who had often lectured to his 
classes on Feudalism, Chivalry, and the Crusades: a 
railroad engineer who had safely carried his precious 
freight of human lives through many dangers from fire 
and flood. The fifth member of the party was called 
"Bach," because he never worked in double harness in 
coming down the rocky lane of life. The many slights 
he had received from the girls had not soured his dis- 
position. Being on the sunny side of forty, he is what 
the world would call a jolly bachelor. 

One evening after supper when the events of the day 
had been discussed by each member of the party, the 
attorney and the theologian were talking of the har- 
mony existing between the Law of the Gospel; the en- 
gineer and the teacher were discussing the feasibility of 
a railroad from Boston to Buenos Aires; "Bach'^ was 
smoking his pipe in silence, probably thinking of some 
fair creature who had crossed his pathway many years 
ago. 

"Why, Bach," said the teacher, "what's wrong? You 
look as glum as a cowled monk. Come, take a Vee 
(Irap of the erathure,' as the Irish washerwoman would 
say, to brace you up, and tell us why you never mar- 
ried." After sitting in silence for some time enough 
of the "^erathure' was taken to drive away the blues. 
Bach resumed his accustomed seat and said: "Have 
you observed the curiosity, wrongly called sympathy, 
manifested towards a person who is supposed to have 
met with unfortunate circumstances? He is plied with 
questions by the curious until he is driven to despair, 



AND Other Imprints. 249 

if not to absolute distraction. The secrets of his past 
life must be laid bare before an inquisitive public. What 
is considered a misfortune by some is not so considered 
by others. I can see no legitimate reason why a bache- 
lor should be made the object of such fond solicitude 
and sympathy. Perhaps some woman would have been 
made very unhappy had he married. Many a woman 
would have been happier had she relegated her so-called 
liusband to the ranks of bachelorhood. While I am not 
at all sensitive on the question of being a bachelor, I 
do not discuss the subject even with my most intimate 
friends. Now, as to why I am not a married man, I 
shall not attempt to answer, but will instead give you 
an account of some of my experiences with the fair sex 
during my courting days. 

"When I was about sixteen, I thought it was high 
time for me to marry out. I fell desperately in love 
■with a little black-eyed girl of about my own age whose 
father lived four miles from my paternal home. I lost 
all interest in books and the boys who had been my 
companions in hunting and fishing. My sole delight 
was to be in the company of the girl who had so com- 
pletely captivated me. Her clear, well modulated voice 
was music celestial to my boyish ears. I went to see 
her each Saturday night, and sometimes remained over 
Sunday. One Monday morning I went home about 
eleven o'clock and hastened to the corn field, where 
corn hoeing was in progress. My father rather ab- 
ruptly asked me if I could not have left that girl a 
little earlier. T told him that I thought I would stay a 
week the next time I called on her. Nothing more 
was said at that time bv either of us, but when we 



350 Moccasin Tracks 

went home to dinner^ father and I had a very stormy 
interview in the wood-shed, in which a good sized 
leather strap played a very prominent part. After that, 
for some time I spent my Saturday afternoons in hook- 
ing suckers along the river. The boys were again my 
companions. 

''Time deals gently with a boy of sixteen, and heals 
bruises as well as broken hearts. It was not many 
months before I again fell a victim to a pair of eyes 
as blue as the sky on a June day after a thunder storm. 
This time in order to be on the safe side I asked my 
father's permission to visit the young lady. My request 
was granted and he also said that he would not inter- 
fere, if I courted in moderation. But, alas! there was 
another father whom I had forgotten to interview on 
the subject. I went to see her once in two weeks, and,, 
as I thought, was making fair progress towards matri- 
mony. One Saturday night, or rather Sunday morn- 
ing, while we were sitting in the parlor her father in 
great wrath came into the room. I had always ob- 
served that he had a very large foot, but I did not 
know until that night that he wore a number thirteen 
boot. I was ejected from the house with such force 
and so unceremoniously that in order to show my utter 
contempt for the old gentleman, I never called again. 
I must confess that for some years I lost all interest in 
eyes of any color, and found solace in rod and gun. 
The boys who had been discarded for some months were 
again admitted to companionship. But it was always 
my misfortune to get mixed up in some luckless love 
affair. 

'^When I was twenty-eia:ht I met a dashins: widow of 



AND Other Imprints. • 351 

thirty who had been represented to me as fairly well- 
to-do as far as this world's goods are concerned, and 
also that she was not encumbered with any children. 
I wrote to her asking permission to call on a certain 
Sunday and received a favorable answer. Promptly at 
the appointed hour, I called and was welcomed with 
her most winsome smiles. She led the way into the 
best room. We talked of the weather, the crops, and 
the neighbors. I heard muffled voices and the shuffle 
of little feet in the closet. The widow talked in her 
most voluble manner, and in a somewhat louder tone 
than was her usual custom. Presently a little squeaky 
voice called out, ^Mamma, has the man left yet? Jane 
and Sam is pinchin' me and Mary won't make 'em 
quit.^ Mother of saints ! At least four little fatherless 
children cooped up in the closet! Thinking it would 
be cruel to remain longer, I took my departure more 
hastily than the strict rules of etiquette would have 
warranted. It is passing strange how easily an old 
bachelor can lose interest in a dashing widow. I never 
repeated that call, but again went to the river in search 
of suckers. I had been very forcibly reminded of the 
fact that all suckers were not to be found in the 
water. 

"It is now very obvious that I did not profit by past 
experience, for my heart was again lost, to a spinster 
of very doubtful age, who nevertheless, was very at- 
tractive ; her teeth were of pearly whiteness ; her cheeks 
were ruddy as the rose when first kissed by the sun- 
light of the morning; her glossy hair gleamed like 
threads of gold. When in her presence I experienced 
the same rapturous delight felt prior to the little epi- 



252 Moccasin Tracks 

sode in the wood-shed, which had occurred twenty years 
previous to that time. 1 often called upon her by ap- 
pointment and was always received by her in the most 
approved manner. She was neither too affectionate 
nor unduly reserved. I have often thought since then 
that she was past master in the pleasing art of court- 
ship. I forgot the wise counsel of my father in regard 
to courting in moderation, and on a Wednesday called 
unexpectedly. Right there, as Uncle Eemus says, is 
where I broke my molasses jug, or rather that of the 
young lady. Not finding her in the parlor I went in- 
to the kitchen. It was washday. When she saw me 
she tried to cover her mouth with one hand and the 
top of her head with the other. With a muffled scream 
she fell in a swoon. I carried her into the house, and, 
after a liberal application of cold water, she slowly re- 
vived. She looked up at me with a glassy stare without 
making an effort to speak. The color of the rose was 
not on her cheeks when I called; her head looked like 
a Webster county forest after a Pennsylvania logging 
crew had gone through it; her teeth — ^well, she had 
none at all. Had I met her in the street in the condi- 
tion in which I found her, I should have addressed her 
as grandma. I left as soon as I had recovered from 
the shock.^' 

At the close of Bach's story plans were laid for the 
morrow, and the fire having burnt low, each sought his 
bed of spruce and hemlock boughs, where sleep more 
refreshing could be secured than on beds of down. 



FROM THE WILLIAMS TO LAKE ERIE. 

The Angler left Coweu on a beautiful morning in 
May and in the evening of the same day went into 
camp at the mouth of Big Beechy on the Williams for 
a three weeks outing among the trout. Many large 
trout were secured and amidst the picturesque scenery 
of that region many things that gladden the hearjt of 
one who delights to study nature in her various moods 
were both seen and heard. The native simplicity of 
the people; the many species of birds to be seen, and 
the cold, sparkling water as it comes dashing down a 
declivity must be seen before they can be fully appre- 
ciated. The Hammons family is the most numerous 
one in the vicinity of Big Beechy. They have lived 
here for many years and are typical backwoodsmen — 
a class of people that is becoming fewer as the county 
becomes more thickly settled. The Hammonses are the 
best bee hunters, deer stalkers and trout fishers in 
West Virginia. Big Pete is a good representative of 
the family. He knows where to find a deer or a bear in 
any season of the year; he is a crack shot — the best 
on the river; he can find a bee tree where other ex- 
perts fail to find a ^'course ;'^ he knows where to look 
for the largest trout, and while he is not considered the 
musical genius of the family, yet when he takes down 
his fifty dollar violin and plays the "Cumberland Gap'' 
and sings in his best style this couplet, 

"Lay down boys and take a little nap, 

For you'll catch h — 1 in the Cumberland Gap," 

to use one of his most expressive sayings, "I hope I 



254 Moccasin Tracks 

may die/' if it is not worth going to the Middle Fork 
to hear him. 

These people have but little, if any, "book larnen,"' 
but they are well versed in woodcraft and wild animal 
life. Big Pete was asked by the Angler if he was ever 
lost in the vast forest around the head waters of the 
Williams and Cranberry rivers. "No," said Pete, "but 
I have been bothered as much as three days at a time." 
A tenderfoot would have thought that wandering 
through the trackless forest for three days without food, 
sleeping under the pines at night, and listening to the 
melancholy hoot of the owl, was being lost with a ven- 
geance, yet the hardy mountaineer referred to it as being 
bothered. In a day's travel from the Three Forks to 
the Dead Water, a distance of fourteen miles, in com- 
pany with two members of the before-mentioned fam- 
ily, about fifty species of birds were seen. My com- 
panions could tell some interesting fact about each 
species, and they had a local name for each which in 
the majority of cases was the correct one. They could 
not only tell the time of their migrations but their 
songs and call notes could be imitated. Upon inquiry 
it was ascertained that the birds were fed in the winter 
by them. A bird which is a shining mark for many 
so-called sportsmen is never shot by a Hammons. 

On his return from the mountains to Cowen the 
Angler was invited by a friend, a veteran of the Civil 
War, to visit him in East Springfield, Pennsylvania. 
The invitation was most gladly accepted. Meeting his 
friend at Wainville, the first stop was made at Clarks- 
burg. This busy, thriving little city, centrally located. 



AND Other Imprints. " 255 

is destined to become one of the most thriving commer- 
cial centers of West Virginia. Coal, coke, the manu- 
facture of iron and glass, and the machine shops will 
place the city in the front rank. It is surrounded by 
the best farm and grazing land to be found in the state. 

Fairmont, where some of our very best teachers re- 
ceived their training, still retains its old-time vigor. 
It is rapidly increasing in wealth and population. It 
w^as in this town in 1891 that the writer had the pleas- 
ure of meeting Francis H. Pierpont, the "Grand Old 
Man'^ of West Virginia, who lived here at that time. 

Morgantown, the Athens of West Virginia, a busy, 
hustling town, is the seat of the State University. It 
was here that a large majority of the lawyers, judges 
and politicians of the state were educated. This town 
has the double commercial advantage of having both 
railroad and water transportation. Coal, coke, and 
various manufactories, backed by good farming and 
grazing land, will make Morgantown one of the most 
prosperous cities in the Monongahela valley. In travel- 
ing through Lewis, Harrison, Marion, and Monongalia 
•counties some of the best farm land in the state is to be 
seen. The cattle, horses, sheep and hogs are of the best 
and show the result of careful breeding. 

From Morgantown it is one hundred and five miles 
to Pittsburgh, the "Gateway of the West." The Monon- 
gahela Valley is of great interest to the student of 
American history. It was in this valley that General 
(then Colonel) Washington fought his first battle and 
surrendered Fort Necessity in 1754 to the French and 
Indians. It was here that General Braddock Avas so 



256 Moccasin Tracks 

disastrously defeated in the next year. Washington and 
the Virginia "buckskin boys'^ by heroic tighting saved 
a remnant of the army. 

Pittsburgh, with its hve hundred thousand people, is 
a veritable bee-hive of industry. It is situated in the 
heart of bituminous coal, oil, and natural gas regions. 
A large part of the coke of the country and much of the 
iron and steel are made in or near Pittsburgh. Large 
quantities of machinery are made here. This city is 
the greatest center in the world for the manufacture of 
plate glass. Allegheny, now a part of Pittsburgh, is 
noted for the manufacture of pickles, packed meats, and 
leather. Before the days of railroads these two cities 
possessed the commercial advantage of the river routes 
afforded by the Ohio river, and the Alleghany and the 
Monongahela which unite here. Millions of tons of 
coal are shipped annually from Pittsburgh down the 
Ohio. There is a problem before the people of the city 
as to the handling of the immense amount of traffic. 
In Smithfield street one has to dodge the trolley cars, 
the ice and meat wagons, and the automobiles. For a 
man who has just come from the woods there is great 
danger of being run over. It would be but little con- 
solation to the victim to know that he had been hit by 
a four thousand dollar machine. 

The train was boarded in Allegheny city and the 
last stage of the journey was begun. Some very rough, 
rugged country, rivaling in scenic beauty the Webster 
county hills, was passed through. Mars is in the 
oil field where hundreds of derricks can be counted at 
one sight. It is more than twenty-five years since this 



AND Other Imprints. 257 

territory was first developed, yet it is still considered a 
rich field. Connelsville is situated in a rich coal terri- 
tory and shows many evidences of prosperity. Butler 
is a manufacturing town and is rapidly increasing in 
population. East Springfield is in Erie, the most 
north-west county in Pennsylvania. It is one of the 
best farming communities in the state. The country 
is comparatively level, having been smoothed down by 
the great Laurentian glacier ages ago. Each farmer 
has a telephone in his home and the mail is brought 
daily to his door. Eailroads and trolley car lines are 
more plentiful than public highways in Webster. The 
Bessemer and Lake Erie -has ninety-five pound steel 
rails, is double tracked and partly laid with steel cross- 
ties, but it has been discovered that under certain con- 
ditions they are not equal to wooden ties. This road 
was built by Andrew Carnegie and carries coal, coke, 
iron, and steel to western markets. It also carries ore 
from Lake Erie to the iron and steel mills in the Pitts- 
burgh district. Conneaut, in Ashtabula county, Ohio, 
has a good harbor. Large whale-back steamers bring 
red hematite and black band iron ore from the Lake 
Superior regions. 

Some of these steamers are six hundred feet long 
and carry twelve hundred tons of ore which is unloaded 
in four and one-half hours by a machine called a "clam 
shell.'' It is then loaded on cars and ship]8ed east to 
the foundries. 

This region has good public roads, some of which are 
macadamized. Travel is always by carriages or automo- 
biles. No one is ever seen on horseback. 

This is a great country for birds. Many old friends 



25S Moccasin Tracks 

of other days were met and many new acquaintances 
were formed. It is essentially the summer home of the 
robin and the brown thrasher. Scores of each species 
can be found in a short ramble. Lake Erie is two hun- 
dred and forty-five miles long, with an average width of 
sixty miles. While sixty miles is not a long flight for a 
bird, many of the smaller species prefer to nest along 
the southern shore of the lake. 

My friends accused me of attempted poaching on the 
lake by casting a fly from the Ohio shore within the 
three mile limit in the Canadian waters. This feat 
with an eight foot bamboo and one hundred and fifty 
feet of line would be no easy task to perform, the dis- 
tance being fifty-seven miles to the forbidden waters. 

Fish are very plentiful in Conneaut creek. This 
stream would be called a river in West Virginia, it 
being sixty-five miles from its source to where it flows 
into the lake. Muskalonge, pike, pickerel, bass, rock 
bass, dace and many other species go up the creek in 
the spring and early summer to spawn. This w^as a 
favorite stream with the Indians, who came here in 
large numbers to spear fish in its clear water. The 
name is of Indian origin and means sweet water. 

Erie county is noted for woodchucks. These animals 
are called groundhogs in West Virginia. Farther east 
in Warren county leeks grow in abundance. These 
plants are called ramps in Webster county. Both wood- 
chucks and leeks are eaten by the people. If Pennsyl- 
vanians eat woodchucks and leeks, there can be no valid 
reason why West Virginians should not eat ground- 
hogs and ramps, although Tom Daly says that if a 
native of Webster persists in the habit for any length 



AND Other Imprints. 259 

of time there is danger of his voting the Democratic 
ticket. 

One would naturally suppose from the varied indus- 
tries of Pensylvania that a cosmopolitan population 
would be found. But to be sold a glass of beer by a 
German from Heidelburg; to be shaved by a Spaniard 
from Barcelona; to have one's shoes shined by a Greek 
from Athens; to have an Afro-American carry one's 
baggage to a hotel; to be "cussed" by a washerwoman 
from Austria, and to escape arrest with difficulty by an 
Irish policeman from Dublin because one "sassed" back 
in good Webster county style, was quite an experience 
for one who had heard a wolf howl and had seen a 
bear track at the Big Slip on the Williams only a week 
previous. 



WINTER BIRD FRIENDS. 

Bird life in Webster county during the winter is not 
very extensive. It comprises two well-defined groups 
— winter visitants .and permanent residents. A few 
summer residents sometimes prolong their stay until 
Christmas^ and in very rare instances they remain 
throughout the long, dreary winter. The robin, the 
blue bird, and the towhee are the three species most fre- 
quently found here when other migratory birds have 
left for the south. 

The winter season is a very favorable time for bird 
study. The species are not so numerous as to be con- 
fusing even to those who have given but little time to 
the study of their form, color, song, or habits. Birds 
are not so timid during very cold weather and will ven- 
ture to the doorstep if they are given the least encour- 
agement. Many bird lovers feed them when snow 
covers the ground. Lunch counters are provided for 
the purpose where the diners are in no danger of being 
molested by the house cat. This practice of feeding the 
birds is a very commendable one. It has a tendency 
to attract them to one's premises. But very few, if any, 
of the winter birds will freeze to death when plentifully 
supplied with food. The normal temperature of a bird 
is much higher than in quadrupeds, and, because of this 
fact, a greater amount of food is required to maintain 
the body heat. The amount of food a bird consumes 
daily is astonishing. It sometimes amounts to almost 
the weight of the bird. 



WINTER VISITANTS. 

The Junco. 

The junco, or slate-colored snowbird, is the most nu- 
merous family of winter visitants. It is known to 
every one, for its acquaintance can be most readily 
made. It arrives in the latitude of Webster Springs as 
early as the middle of October and usually remains un- 
til the latter part of April. During their stay they 
consume large quantities of the seeds of harmful plants. 
They nest as far north as New England and southern 
Canada. Many become permanent residents of Webster 
county, nesting in the high mountain regions on the 
head waters of the Gauley and the Williams rivers and 
their tributaries. Just before leaving for their summer 
home, the junco sings a very simple but sweet song, 
thus paying for any hospitality which they received. 
The song somewhat resembles that of the chipping 
sparrow, which is a distant relative. The nest is a 
very simple affair, located on the ground under the side 
of a rock or a log. 

The Golden-Crowned Kinglet. 

The members of this family are very small birds, 
very much resembling warblers. It may be identified 
by its orange and gold crown. Its arrival and depar- 
ture closely coincides with that of the junco. 

The golden-crown is usually found in pairs, nerv- 
ously flitting about the terminal twigs in search of in- 
sect food. During the winter it may be found from 
Maine to Florida and it nests from North Carolina to 



262 Moccasin Tracks 

southern Canada. They sing during the nesting season 
only. It is very interesting to watch a pair of these 
tiny birds feeding. Each twig is inspected for small 
insects or their eggs. They are not at all shy, but will 
come very near a person when they are feeding. These 
little midgets in feathers make a winter landscape less 
gloomy by their presence. 

The Winter Wren. 

The winter wren is the baby of the family of wrens. 
It arrives here in late autumn and departs in the early 
spring. It is found in the vicinity of thick under- 
brush and fallen timber. Lumber yards are favorite 
haunts. When alarmed winter wrens seek shelter in 
hollow logs, under the upturned roots of trees or in a 
water hole. As songsters they are not excelled by many 
birds of larger size. They are easily identified by their 
diminutive size and short erect tails. This wren nests 
in the higher altitudes of Webster. 

The Brown Creeper. 

There are twelve known members of this family, yet 
the brown creeper is the only American representative. 
It is a northern bird and breeds at sea level from 
Maine to the Arctic Circle and along the Alleghany 
mountains to North Carolina. They arrive here very 
late in autumn and they are always busy feeding on 
the eggs and larvae of insects. The creeper begins at 
the base of a tree and winds around and around, ex- 
ploring every nook and crevice until it reaches the top, 



AND Other Imprints. 263 

and then without a moment's pause drops to the base 
of the next one. It, like the wood-pecker, is never seen 
with its head downward, but using its strong, stiff- 
pointed tail feathers as a prop, travels rapidly up a 
tree. 

The only note uttered while in our midst is a fine 
squeak not unlike that of a bat, but in its northern 
home it sings an exquisite song of four distinct notes. 



PERMANENT RESIDENTS. 

Our permanent residents are not lacking in birds of 
brilliant plumage or in sweet songsters. Who has not 
noted the pleasing contrast of a cardinal grosbeak 
against a background of snow? What is more cheerful 
than the song of a Carolina wren or a song sparrow on 
a clear February morning? While all bird admirers 
give a cordial welcome to winter visitants, and summer 
residents, the native species seem to be the general fa- 
vorites, because they brave the summer heat as well as 
the winter sleet and snow. 

But very few individual birds remain in the same 
locality throughout the entire year. They move south 
at the approach of winter. The birds that spent the 
summer in the Elk valley moved south and members of 
the same species from forther north took their place. 
In the spring they will return to the vicinity in which 
they nested last year. 



264 Moccasin Tracks 

The Song Sparrow. 

The song sparrow is one of our most common perma- 
nent residents. This bird is usually found on the bor- 
der of a thicket, on or near the ground. If there be a 
little brook near, bordered with weeds or thick rushes, 
he is almost certain to be found there. When the deep 
snow covers the ground look for him about the barn, 
under board walks or buildings tliat are not resting on 
the ground. He will be known by his brown coat, long 
tail, and mottled breast, with a black spot in the cen- 
ter. The song sparrow is a sweet singer and with the 
exception of a short period in August he may be heard 
throughout the year. Chapman says that his modest 
chant always brings good cheer and contentment, but 
when heard in silent February, it seems the divinest 
bird lay to which mortal man ever listened. The magic 
of his voice bridges the cold months of spring; as we 
listen to him fields seem green, and bare branches seem 
clothed in rustling leaves. 

When flushed he does not fly far, but makes a dash 
for the nearest cover. The nest is usually placed on 
the ground, but a bush may be chosen for the site. 
Three broods are raised between May and September, 
and each one consists of four or five nestlings. 

The Cardinal Grosbeak. 

The cardinal grosbeak, or Virginia red-bird, with his 
scarlet coat and prominent crest, is known and admired 
by every one. His mate is not so gaudily dressed but 
she is very readily recognized by the crest that adorns 



AND Other Imprints. 265 

both sexes. This species is common from Florida to 
JSTew York. The song, which is confined chiefly to the 
male, is a whistle of various notes and intonations. 
One of his favorite songs is thought by many farmers 
to indicate rain, as he seems to say "Wet, wet, year, 
year, year." They build their nest from four to eight 
feet above the ground and is located in a dense thicket. 
The nest is made of very coarse material in which the 
bark of the grape vine predominates. But one brood is 
reared each year and it consists of three or four young 
ones. 

The Blue Jay. 

The blue jay in his beautiful uniform of blue and 
white is a permanent resident with very erratic habits, 
and movements. He is very common in October and 
November, feeding on acorns, beech nuts, and chestnuts, 
which form his chief diet in the fall and winter. At 
times he is absent from his usual haunts for many 
months. These movements are governed by food sup- 
plies rather than upon climatic conditions. His best 
friends can not call him a songster of much merit, but 
his worst enemies cannot deny his great conversational 
powers. Besides a succession of melodious notes called 
a song, birds have certain call notes, which is a method 
pf communication between, individuals of the same 
family. To any one who has listened to a large flock 
of blue jays feeding in a woodland comprising five or 
six acres, their vocabulary appears almost unlimited. 
Besides the call notes peculiar to their own species, 
they are most excellent mimics and they can imitate 



266 Moccasin Tracks 

the red-tailed and red-shouldered hawks in a way to 
deceive the most practiced ear. One is never certain 
from which it proceeds until he hears the unmistakable 
"jay/' "jay'' from the same vicinity or sees the hawk 
mount upward on tireless pinions. 

Jays spend much time in teasing the owl. The one 
that finds an owl gives a peculiar cry which is immedi- 
ately answered by every jay in hearing of the call. 
They gather around the owl as closely as safety will 
admit, each uttering a protest in the most positive 
manner. It is very comical to see the owl turning his 
head from side to side to see each of his diminutive tor- 
mentors. A perfect Babel of noise is heard and the 
poor owl, driven almost to distraction, flies away, but 
he is followed by the entire flock of his persecutors. 
Not until he is driven out of their feeding ground will 
they desist. 

The jay is a robber and a despoiler of the nests of 
other birds. He also eats the young ones. This trait 
has made him many enemies that otherwise would be 
his friends. Jays build a very compact nest of small 
twigs and rootlets about fifteen feet from the ground. 
The eggs, four or five in number, are a pale olive-green 
color. Jays are very useful in the transportation and 
planting of seeds. I have found twenty-five beech nuts 
hidden by them in a stump at least four hundred yards 
from a beech tree. Jays are permanent residents from 
Florida to Nova Scotia. 

The Tufted Titmouse. 

The tufted titmouse is a very common bird through- 
out the year in central West Virginia. It has a long 



AND Other Imprints. 267 

tail and a prominent crest. Its prevailing color is gray 
above, with recldisli brown sides and cream-colored 
breast. Its call notes resemble the black-capped chick- 
adee, but they are somewhat louder and more nasal. 
Another call heard in mild winter weather is a low 
whistle, "peto, peto, peto," repeated for hours at a time. 
The male is an ardent suitor, and during the months 
of April and a part of May he is very attentive to his 
intended mate. It is a fact worthy of note that birds 
choose but one mate for the season, unless by some 
fatality it becomes necessary to choose another one. 
Some species select a permanent mate and the two are 
always found near each other, except in the spring mi- 
gration the male arrives at the nesting place two or 
three weeks earlier than the female. 

Some years ago, near Bolair, I witnessed a very sin- 
gular courtship between two titmice. The male fol- 
lowed the female from branch to branch and from tree 
to tree, uttering a low, plaintive cry like that of a 
young bird. His wings were fluttering, and his move- 
ments indicated the utmost excitement. After some 
time the female flew down to the ground and was fol- 
lowed by her admirer. She picked up a small straw 
and gave it to him. This act must have indicated that 
his love was reciprocated, for he at once became quiet, 
but he continued to follow her. She, probably from 
the first, intended to accept him, but thought she would 
keep him in doubt and suspense for a while, like some 
young ladies do their sweethearts. 

Titmice feed upon nuts and seeds in autumn and 
winter, and during the remainder of the year • their 
chief diet consists of insects. Thev hoard their food 



268 Moccasin Tracks 

like blue jays, and even when snow covers the ground 
they seem to have no trouble in locating it where it was 
concealed months before. While feeding they keep up 
a continual twittering, which is very pleasing to the 
ear. 

The Downy Woodpecker. 

The downy woodpecker belongs to a very numerous 
family distributed from the Arctic regions to Mexico. 
The members of this family are called the surgeons of 
the forests, because they excavate holes in the trees 
with their sharp, chisel-like bills in search of the larv^ 
of injurious insects. They do immense damage to 
timber in this way, but the harm done is in a measure 
balanced by their keeping the ravages of forest insects 
in check. 

The downy woodpecker is common in all seasons of 
the year. His feet, tail, and bill are especially adapted 
to his mode of procuring food. His sharp toe nails 
enable him to climb with ease and rapidity; his stiff 
pointed tail feathers act as a prop to hold him against 
a tree, and his sharp bill can penetrate the hardest 
wood. It is used as a hand with which to procure food, 
and as a tool to excavate a receptacle in soft or decayed 
wood for a nest, and also to construct a winter home. 
In the coldest weather he may be seen diligently search- 
ing for insect food hidden in the bark or in decayed 
wood. He is the partner of the orchardist and the 
farmer, destroying myriads of insects, bugs, and worms 
that are injurious to trees. In the autumn he is found 
making a hole in a fence prop, a stump, or a post in 
which he snugly spends the cold, winter nights. In 



AND Other Imprints. 269 

the same way he prepares a site for a nest. The eggs 
are white and the usual number is six. 

The downy is not noted for his courage or his fight- 
ing qualities, although he is armed with a bill that 
could be used to good effect in both offensive and de- 
fensive warfare. He is very sociable in his habits, and 
spends much time in the company of nuthatches and 
chickadees. 

Some years ago, I was interested in a pair of blue 
birds that had selected an abandoned home of a wood- 
pecker in a wild plum for their nesting place. They 
visited it daily to see if any other birds were trespass- 
ing on their rights. One cold, rainy evening in April 
they came as usual, and one of them looked in at the 
door, but quickly withdrew his head in great agitation 
and utered a cry of alarm. He then flew to a nearby 
tree and his mate looked in with a similar result. They 
both flew some distance and appeared to hold a con- 
ferance as to the best method of procedure against the 
intruder. They were very much excited, and used tail, 
wings, and voice to express the indignation they felt 
at the intrusion. The downy was very much alarmed 
at thus being cooped up in a home that did not belong 
to him and two angry owners plotting against him. 
He had sought shelter from the rain, but he did not 
feel at all comfortable at this time. He very cautiously 
peeped out, and seeing his enemies some distance away, 
he made a dash for liberty hotly pursued by the angry 
blue birds. The chase continued in my sight for two 
or three hundred yards, and the pursuers did not re- 
turn for about an hour. They remained on guard until 
late twilight, but the downy did not return. For some 



270 Moccasin Tracks 

unknown cause the blue birds did not use the plum tree 
as a nesting site that year. 

The Hairy Woodpecker. 

The hairy woodpecker, the downy's big cousin, is a 
shyer bird than his smaller relative, and does not visit 
the orchards very often, but he spends most of his time 
in the deep forests. His dress, like the downy, is 
barred with black and white. The outer tail feathers 
of the downy are white, barred with black; in the 
hairy they are white without black bars. In the males, 
the nape of the neck of both species is a bright red. 
The feathers on the back of the hairy woodpecker are 
somewhat stiff and resemble hair, hence the name. 
When entering the woods on a cold day in winter one 
will hear the tap, tap, tap of a woodpecker in search of 
tree "borers.'^ When approached they will sidle to. the 
other side of the tree and peep at the intruder. When 
the seeming danger is past work will again be resumed. 
All woodpeckers make a loud drumming noise by strik- 
ing a dead limb with their sharp bill, which is repeated 
a number of times in rapid succession. This is their 
love call. 

The Pileated Woodpecker. 

This is the largest member of the family with the 
exception of the ivory bill, which is found in Florida 
and adjacent territory. He is seventeen inches in length 
and his color is a dull black with much white on his 
neck and wings. The high pointed crest of bright red 
gives him a very jaunty appearance. It resembles the 



AND Other Imprints. 271 

bright red cap worn by the Roman soldiers called 
pileus, and he has been called the pileated woodpecker. 
He is very shy and rarely comes into orchards or farm 
lands. They are not so plentiful as they were twenty 
years ago, but quite a number can be seen by those who 
go far enough into the dense woods. On the approach 
of a snow storm the pileated flies to a southern ex- 
posed part of the woods. He remains there until the 
storm is about ready to break and then he seeks the 
woods facing the north. The first settlers in Webster 
county learned to predict the weather by his flight. 
Like all other woodpeckers, he nests in a hole exca- 
vated in a dead stub or tree. 

The Goldfinch. 

To see the goldfinch in the month of May dressed in 
his gay wedding suit of yellow and black one can 
scarcely believe that he braves the winter storms. After 
the young ones are grown, he lays aside his brilliant coat 
and assumes the garb of his more modest mate, and 
becomes a w^inter resident. The goldfinch is a bird of 
many names. He is called the flax bird, the wild 
canary, the beet bird, the lettuce bird, and the yellow 
bird. He is very sociable and is usually found in 
flocks feeding on the seeds of thistles, dandelions, sun- 
flowers and many other plants. If you wish to make 
the acquaintance of this most interesting little bird, 
plant sunflowers in your garden and leave the seeds on 
the stalks until late autumn and early winter. The 
goldfinch does not go to housekeeping until June, al- 
though he has worn his wedding clothes since the 
month of April. A very compact nest is built in the 



272 Moccasin Tracks 

crotch of a small branch ten to twenty feet above the 
ground. It is composed of fine bark and plant fibers 
and is lined with soft plant down. The eggs, from 
three to six in number, are bluish-white in color. 

The song I'esembles that of the canary, and in early 
spring they sing in chorus, but later in the season the 
males become most excellent soloists. Sometimes while 
the female is feeding, the male will fly around her in 
a wide circle in graceful, undulating movements utter- 
ing "per-chic-oree, per-chic-oree^^ for some minutes. 
The nest is encircled in the same manner when the 
female is brooding. Many years ago, when each farmer 
sowed a small patch of flax for home consumption, 
goldfinches were very plentiful, and because they ate 
the seeds they were called flaxbirds. They eat the 
leaves of young beets and are therefore called beet birds. 
In the male, from April to August, the body is a beau- 
tiful golden color. The crown is black and the wings 
are black and white. The female is a grayish brown, 
with wings barred with black and pale yellow. The 
range of the goldfinch is from the tropics to the central 
part of Canada. 

The Black-Capped Chickadee. 

This bird belongs to the titmouse family. Titmouse 
means little mouse. It is one of our smallest birds, be- 
ing but four and one-half inches long. It is also called 
tit or torn tit. The chickadee is a permanent resident, 
but is more plentiful in the spring and autumn migra- 
tions. It is insectivorous and destroys many insects 
harmful to vegetation. It not only feeds upon the in- 
sect but upon the eggs and larvae also. The song of 



AND Other Imprints. 273 

three or four notes is very musical and need only be 
heard in order to be appreciated. It is not at all shy, 
but will allow one to approach very near when in its 
native woods. For a nesting place a hole in a dead tree 
or limb is selected, but, if a suitable one cannot be 
found, one is soon made with his sharp bill. The small 
particles of wood are not dropped at the root of the 
tree like the woodpeckers, but they are carried some 
distance away before being dropped to the ground. The 
work is done by both male and female, working alter- 
nately. When completed, this house is lined with the 
soft, inner bark of trees. 

The upper parts of the chickadee are gray, and the 
under parts are brownish-white. The crown and throat 
are black, and the cheeks are white. The eggs, five to. 
eight in number, are white, spotted and speckled with 
reddish-brown. 

The White-Breasted Nuthatch. 

This is a very interesting bird and no' one need be 
in the woods very long without hearing his call note, 
which is a loud "yank,^' ^'yank," or he will be seen 
running head downward on a tree. His song is a rap- 
idly uttered "ha-ha-ha-ha'' in a very loud key. This is 
not music of a very high order, but when heard in 
bleak December, when there is a dearth of bird music, 
it has a cheerful ring. The red-breasted nuthatch is a 
near relative of the white-breast, but is a more north- 
ern bird and is not found in central West Virginia. 
They are called nuthatches because they use their sharp, 
slender bill to crack or "hatch" a nut after it has been 
wedged in some convenient crevice in the bark of a 



274 Moccasin Teacks 

tree or a crack in a limb. In comparing titmice with 
nuthatches, it may be said that the former have long 
tails and short bills, and do not creep, while the latter 
have short tails and long bills and do creep. The nut- 
hatches, with no special structure other than slightly 
lengthened toe nails, differ from all other birds in the 
ease and rapidity in which they can ascend or descend 
trees. The tail is short and square and is not used for 
a support in climbing. The color of the white-breasted 
nuthatch is bluish-gray on the back with face and un- 
der parts white. The crown of the male is black, and 
in the female a slaty color. The nest is made in April 
and the eggs are white, thickly speckled with reddish- 
brown. 

• The Carolina Wren. 

The Carolina wren is very common and is very much 
larger than its cousin, the winter wren. It is one of 
our j'olliest birds, and its call notes and song are varied 
and very musical. Wrens are the most vigorous and en- 
ergetic of birds. Some species will build three or four 
nests before eggs are deposited in either one. A house 
wren will carry a half bushel of material to fill up a 
nesting cavity, and then build the nest on the top of 
the heap. The range of the Carolina wren is from 
New York to Florida. Its upper parts are bright, 
cinnamon and its under parts are washed with the 
same color. The nest is built in some crevice or out of 
the way place, the more effectively to hide it. I have 
seen t!he nest in a basket of feathers hung up in a 
smoke house, and in the sleeve of an old coat left in 
the wood house. The eggs, from five to eight, are 



AND Other Imprints. 275 

laid in April. Think of the amount of work Jenny 
Wren and her husband must do to supply food for so 
many baby wrens. February is a favorable month to 
study 'the habits of the Carolina wren. 

The Raven. 

The raven, the bird of ill omen, was very common 
thirty or forty years ago, but it is very seldom seen 
now. I have seen but two in twenty-five years. These 
were seen on Birch river in Nicholas county. They 
remained for several days in the vicinity where first 
seen before taking their final departure. This was in 
1902. Eavens built their nests in the deepest forests 
far removed from human habitation. When the young 
were able to fly they visited the settlements where food 
was more plentiful. The clamorous cry of the hungry 
youngsters was a very familiar spring sound. They 
were casual visitors until spring, when they returned 
to their breeding ground, but not before they had 
aroused the enmity of the farmers by plucking out the 
eyes of young lambs. Farther north the raven is still 
very common. 

The Crow. 

The crow, another bird of jet black plumage, but 
much smaller than the raven, is not so common as 
formerly during the winter. He has become a mi- 
grant and spends his winters to the south of us, re- 
turning at the breaking up of winter. Not many years 
ago a small flock could be seen on nearly every farm, 
feedinof with the cattle or other farm animals. The 



276 Moccasin Tkacks 

farmers considered the crovv' a great pest because of his 
fondness for sprouting corn in the spring and for 
roasting ears in the late summer. While much damage 
is still done by him, he is now considered a friend of 
the agriculturist, as his chief diet consists of grubs and 
worms, the natural enemies of the farmer. In the au- 
tumn, crows collect in immense flocks and have a com- 
mon place to roost from which they forage in small 
bands for miles in every direction. When they return 
about sundown, for some time their incessant cawing is 
almost deafening. They feed on beech nuts and the 
seeds of some plants in the fall. But their chief food 
supply at that season of the year is the shelled corn 
and small ears left in the fields by the farmer when he 
gathered his crops. 

The Ruffed Grouse. 

The popular names of many American birds were 
given them by the early English settlers because of 
some real or fancied resemblance to well known Euro- 
pean species. The robin is not a robin but a true 
thrush; the meadow lark is not a lark at all, but a 
starling; the orioles are not orioles, but a distinct 
American family having no representatives in Europe. 
One of our best known and most popular game birds, 
the partridge of the north and the pheasant of the 
south, is neither, but it is a grouse. Ornithologists 
have repeatedly pointed out these mistakes in the in- 
terest of correct scientific classification of our birds, but 
the names have been too long established to be easily 
changed. 



AND Other Imprints. 277 

The ruffed grouse (the pheasant), so called because 
tihe neck is ornamented with a black ruff, or collar, is 
distributed from the Oarolinas to Canada, but is more 
plentiful in mountain regions that are heavily timbered. 
The ruff of the male is black and the feathers compos- 
ing it are longer than the surrounding ones, but in the 
female it is brown and the feathers are of the same 
length as the surrounding ones. The color of the 
grouse, a dark brown and rusty gray, exactly harmon- 
izes with his surroundings of leaves, logs, and dead 
brush. This is called protective coloration and enables 
him to readily hide from his enemies. The sportsman 
who successfully hunts him without the aid of a dog 
must have sharp eyes and always be on the alert. He 
will quietly sit in a few feet of the hunter until his 
back is turned and with a loud whirr he springs into 
the air and is away like a shot. 

The male grouse makes a loud drumming sound 
which corresponds to the love songs of other birds. 
They drum most frequently during the nesting season, 
which begins about the first of May. Thirty years 
ago drumming was often heard at night but I have 
heard no drumming after sunset for many years. The 
manner in which this sound is produced is not well un- 
derstood even by eminent writers on birds. One noted 
author says that the bird firmly braces himself against 
a low perch and beats the air with his wings. Another 
writer says that he drums on a hollow log by beating it 
with his wings. Now, I have often watched, at very 
close range, the process. The drummer selects a log, 
usually an old mossy one, and stands very erect upon 



378 Moccasin Tracks 

it. The wings are thrust well in front, and by a very 
slow movement at first, strikes the primaries together 
producing the sound. The latter part of the perform- 
ance is so rapid that he is almost lifted from his perch, 
against which he is not braced. If the outer feathers 
of the wings did not strike together, no louder sound 
could be produced than by suddenly bounding into the 
air when flushed. 

During the spring and summer the toes of the grouse 
are bare and slender, but in autumn a comb-like fringe 
grows upon them, which for all practical purposes acts 
as a snow shoe, which aids in walking on the snow. 
The natural habitat of the grouse is in regions of deep 
snow fall, and he spends much of his time on the 
ground, so this is a wise provision of nature enabling 
him to walk on the soft snow without sinking deep into 
it. Grouse belong to the family of scratchers, but he 
never uses this method of procuring his food. A leaf- 
lined nest is constructed on the ground under the side 
of a log or rock, and from eight to fourteen buff-col- 
ored eggs are laid early in May. 

The Bobwhite. 

This game bird, the quail of the nortli and the par- 
tridge of the south, is a permanent resident of small 
number. He is called "bobwhite'^ from one of his loud 
whistled calls and when heard it is a sure harbinger of 
spring. This is a more southern bird than the ruffed 
grouse and is found in the eastern United States from 
Florida to Maine. The bobw^hite has the grouse mark- 
ings, and male and female are mudh alike in color, the 



AND Other Imprints. 279 

most important difference being the throat and the line 
over the eye, which are white in the male and buff in 
the female. During the winter they are often seen 
about the barn and other farm buildings feeding on the 
grain scattered about. They have many enemies, in- 
cluding hawks and foxes. They roost on the ground in 
a circle with tails together and heads pointing in all 
directions. They spring into the air when an enemy 
approaches too near for safety. The bobwhite is one 
among the farmers' best feathered friends. He destroys 
immense quantities of weed seeds, grasshoppers, cut 
\\^orms, and other injurious insects. The nest is made 
on the ground about the middle of May and from ten 
to twenty white eggs are laid. 

Besides the birds I have enumerated there are hawks 
and owls to be found in Webster county, but because of 
their predatory habits, and their desire to live solitary 
and alone, they are not numbered among our winter 
bird friends. 

Winter birds give us a feeling of comradeship with 
nature, and the sight of one of them, or the sound of a 
well known chirp, when all nature is held in the icy 
embrace of winter, makes a dreary day more cheerful. 

The birds from an economic standpoint deserve care- 
ful consideration. Leading entomologists estimate the 
damage done by insects to the agricultural interests of 
the United States at seven hundred million dollars. 
This almost inconceivable amount would be many times 
greater if the birds did not hold the insects in check. 
Immense damage is done by insects to the forests and 
our shade trees. Now, if insects are the natural ene- 



280 MoccAsiK Tracks 

mies of vegetation, the birds are the natural enemies of 
insects. By feeding on insects birds prevent their un- 
due increase. If it were not for this, vegetation in 
many parts of the earth in a few years would be en- 
tirely destroyed. Birds by eating the seeds of harmful 
weeds are beneficial to the farmer. 
. It is from an aesthetic consideration that birds ap- 
peal most direct^ to us. Their beautiful plumage, 
their sweet songs, their means of procuring food, and 
their annual migration appeal to every one who. likes 
to spend a part of his time beyond the narrow limits 
of a dwelling house. Birds possess many of the char- 
acteristics of man. Fear and courage, love and hate, 
modesty and vanity are each manifested by them. Many 
are ardently attached to their birth place, and return 
to it each spring, after having visited lands hundreds 
of miles distant. Some are very sociable, living in 
large flocks, and they keep up a constant communica- 
tion with each other by means of call notes. Many 
birds live lonely, solitary lives in the deep forests and 
are gloomily silent. 

Who does not admire the intelligence, or instinct, 
that enables the bobolink to spend the winter in Brazil, 
a land of summer and gay flowers? Yet the next 
spring he is merrily singing in his home in northern 
United States. 

It is said that when a person has learned the names 
of ten birds and can apply the names to the proper 
species, that he is lost. The pleasure obtained from the 
ten is so great that he is not content until the name of 
all the birds that visit his localitv have been learned. 



AND Other Imprints. 281 

Nov/, I sincerely hope that every boy and girl ^vtho 
reads these sketches will become so completely lost that 
they will not again find themselves until they have 
learned the names of all the winter visitants and per- 
manent residents near their homes. It will then be a 
very easy and most pleasant task to learn the names of 
the most prominent summer residents and transient 
visitants. 

Buy a hand book on birds, and take it with you on 
your outings, and you will be agreeably surprised with 
the ease and rapidity that you learn to identify our 
friends in feathers. This applies to elderly persons as 
well as young people. 

THE EAGLE. 

There are many traits and characteristics among the 
different species of birds that have attracted universal 
attention among civilized peoples. Some birds possess 
a sweet voice and poets have sung their praises in 
poetic compositions. Others by their long migratory 
flights over land and sea, across valleys and mountains, 
have been praised for that unerring instinct that safely 
guides them to the end of their long, perilous journeys. 

The eagle has claimed 'attention for many centuries, 
although he possesses neither a sweet voice nor migratory 
habits. He braves the snows of a long Arctic winter or 
endures the panting and dissolving heat of the Torrid 
zone. He is seemingly at home in all parts of the 
world, and his vigils are kept on the highest mountain 
peaks or in the lowest valleys. Some one of the 
various species is to be found wherever the foot of 



282 Moccasin Tracks 

civilized man has trod. He is most assuredly a bird of 
cosmopolitan antecedents and has impressed the human 
family from the earliest antiquity. 

The eagle possesses many of the attributes of mankind 
and man himself can learn many valuable lesfeons from 
this noble bird. He disdains to feed upon anything 
not slain by his own power. This characteristic teaches 
us that we should be self-reliant and should not depend 
upon others for our support or for our ideas. Our own 
powers rightly used are of greater value to us than bor- 
rowed ones, although they may be of greater dynamic 
force. 

The eagle is called the king of birds. It is not be- 
cause he can sing more sweetly, scream more loudly, or 
fly more swiftly, but it is because of the loftiness of his 
flight. He posseses a keen eye and he senses the ap- 
proach of a storm from afar. From his aerie on some 
beetling crag, he spreads his pinions and by easy and 
graceful gyrations, he mounts up, and up, until he 
soars beyond the natural vision of man, and finally 
reaches a point beyond the storm clouds. With a fear- 
less eye, he looks down upon lightning-riven clouds. 
While the earth is being veiled in partial darkness, and 
while weaker birds are being tossed to and fro by the 
tempest and vainly seeking cover and protection from 
th'e driving rain and hail, he is basking in the sun- 
shine immune from the fury of the elements. 

'V\Tiat a lesson is taught from this upward flight! It 
teaches us that we are to arise above the petty troubles 
and annoyances of this life. As we surmount each ob- 
stacle, we can look down upon them with complaisance 



AND Other Imprints. 283 

and self-reliance. Above these troubles all is peace and 
serenity: in the midst of them turmoil and discord. 
The eagle is invigorated and strengthened by his exer- 
tions; so are we by taking a loftier view of the aims 
and attainments of this life. 

The harpy eagle is a South American species living 
alone in the deepest forests. He is gloomily silent and 
quarrelsome. He will attack any animal that comes 
near him and even man himself is not immune from 
his ill temper. 

Are you acquainted with any persons of whom this 
eagle reminds you? They are to be found in almost 
every city, town, or village in West Virginia. They 
seem to be at cross purposes with the world. They are true 
Ishmaelites and show their ill temper on the least prov- 
ocation. They do not freely mingle with their fellow 
men but prefer to live lonely, solitary lives, neither giv- 
ing nor receiving a helping hand. It is better to come 
out in the sunlight of publicity and assist in making 
this a better world in which to live. Such persons have 
been characterized as "stars that dwell apart in a fel- 
lowless firmament." It is said that they do not live in 
a house by the side of the road where they can be a 
friend to man. 

Eagles usually rear their broods in nests situated on 
the pinnacle of some inaccessible mountain peak, where, 
in safety, they can scan a thousand depths of nether 
air. The eaglets soon attain the size of the parent 
birds, but they are cowering and timid. The mother 
watches over them in the fondest paternal solicitude. 
She becomes impatient of their long delay in leaving 



284 Moccasin Tracks 

their temporary abode. She pushes one after another 
out of the nest. If one is not strong enough to fly, it 
is left sitting on the side of the nest, or it is sometimes 
borne to safety on the back of the mother. This action 
of the parent eagle teaches us two valuable truths. If 
we never try to do a thing, it will never be accom- 
plished. If we make an honest effort, we gain confi- 
dence in ourselves, and, if we fail, it gives added 
strength which will enable us to win in a subsequent 
attempt. In the second lesson taught, we learn to as- 
sist the weak and helpless. Man does not live for him- 
self alone. Christ exemplified this when he said, "Bear 
one another's bur dens.'' By our own selfishness and 
lack of interest in humanity, we often make the bur- 
dens heavier for our fellow beings. 

The eagle occupies a prominent place in the ornithol- 
ogy of the Bible. It is mentioned many times by the 
sacred writers. 

The people of the Roman Empire, one of the great 
universal empires of the world, used the image of an 
eagle for their standard. It was carried by the victo- 
rious legions from the tropical regions of Africa to the 
icy, snow-clad hills of northern Europe. Its victorious 
advance under the imperial Caesar in western Europe 
was checked by the Belgians near the scenes of conflict 
in the great war of nineteen hundred and fourteen. This 
emblem in bronze or brass was as sacred to the Roman 
legionaries as the Stars and Stripes is to the American 
soldiers. Many centuries after the fall of the Roman 
Empire, a free and powerful nation came into promi- 
nence in North America, and the eagle became its 



AND Other Imprints. 285 

fitting emblem because the noble bird typifies strength, 
power, and endurance. It is represented on the shield 
of the United States and also on the silver and gold 
coins. 

Percival, the American poet, gives a very vivid and 
graphic description of the home and habits of the 
eagle in one of his poems. He says, 

"Bird of the broad, and sweeping wing. 

Thy home is high in heaven; 
Where the wide storms their banners fling. 
And the tempest clouds are driven. 

Thou art perched aloft on a beetling crag. 

And the waves are white below 
And on with a haste that cannot lag. 

They rush in an endless flow. 

Thy home is on the mountain top ; 

Thy fields the boundless air. 
And hoary peaks that proudly prop 

The skies, thy dwelling are." 



THE CRISIS OF 1861. 

William Oooper, the great English poet and hymnist, 
wrote, 

"God moves in a mysterious way, 

. His wonders to perform ; 
He plants his footsteps in the sea, 
And rides upon the storm.'^ 

The aptness of this assertion was fully exemplified 
in the great and irrepressible conflict that culminated 
in 1861. 

The smouldering fires of fifty years burst forth with 
volcanic fury, and the United States was plunged into 
the vortex of a great internecine war. 

This crisis did not come upon the country like a 
thunderbolt from a cloudless sky, but its mutterings 
had been heard by the founders of the Eepublic — even 
by George Washington himself. An intimation of it 
had been wafted from England to the shores of Amer- 
ica in the wars between the Cavaliers and the Puritans 
in 1649. Thirty years prior to this event slavery had 
been introduced into the colony of Virginia. The Cav- 
aliers and their adherents, for the most part, settled be- 
low what was afterwards known as Mason and Dixon's 
line. The Puritans, under the leadership of such men 
as Brewster, Carver and Endicott, settled in New Eng- 
land, which was north of the Maryland-Pennsylvania 
boundary. 

It is a well known historical fact that immigration 
moves along the same parallels of latitude. So it came 
to pass that the dominant class of people of the two 



AND Other Imprints. 287 

sections of the colonies inherited and entertained polit- 
ical, social, and industrial opinions hostile to each 
other. British, injustice and usurpation united the 
North and the South against their common enemy. 
The Revolution was fought to a successful conclusion, 
and the United States of America, occupying the fair- 
est portion of the continent, was established. 

The importation of slaves was favored by the British 
government during the eighteenth century, and at the 
treaty of Eutrecht, in 1713, Great Britain obtained the 
contract of supplying slaves for the Spanish West In- 
dies. Many of the colonies objected to the interna- 
tional traffic in human beings, but it was forced upon 
them by the mother country. The colonists of Virginia. 
Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts passed laws against it 
previous to 1774, but each of these was vetoed by royal 
authority. 

The slave trade question came very prominently be- 
fore the Constitutional Convention of 1787. All the 
Southern States, except Virginia and Maryland, de- 
manded its retention. After a heated debate the ques- 
tion was compromised by giving Congress poAver to 
aholish it in 1808. Congressional Acts passed in 1818 
and 1819 authorized the President to send war vessels 
to Africa to stop the trade in slaves, which was not 
fully given up until 1865. 

A sentiment hostile to slavery began to develop 
among the Quakers soon after it was introduced into 
the North. This religious sect drew up a memorial 
against it at Germantown, Pennsylvania, in 1688. 
Woolwich and other Quakers openly denounced it from 



288 Moccasin Tjucks 

the pulpit. The Boston town meeting in 1701 passed 
a resolution against it. Slaves were few in the North 
but numerous in the South, where the increase and the 
danger felt from them caused the passage of severe 
laws respecting them. 

The Eevolution, as a movement for liberty, with its 
declaration proclaiming all men free and equal, joined 
with the humanitarian spirit of the close of the eight- 
eenth century to increase the anti-slavery sentiment. 
All the Northern States either abolished slavery about 
this time or provided for its gradual extinction. 

Had it not been for Whitney^s invention of the cot- 
ton gin, in 1793, the great crisis might never have oc- 
curred. The destiny of a nation is often changed by 
very small occurrences. This invention gave a new im- 
petus to slavery by making the production of cotton 
enormously profitable. It made a large portion of the 
people of the North, who were interested in cotton 
manufacturing, dependent upon slave labor to supply 
the raw material for their spindles. After this time the 
people of the South began to defend slavery as a posi- 
tive good in spite of its obvious disadvantages. Aboli- 
tion societies first formed about 1793 began to languish 
in 1808. 

The Missouri Compromise of 1820 arranged that 
slavery could not exist west of the Mississippi river and 
north of thirty-six degrees and thirty minutes, except 
in the case of Missouri. The American Colonization 
Society tried to palliate the evils of slavery by emanci- 
pation and colonization. 

About 1830 the agitation against slavery took a more 



AND Other Impeints. 2Sd 

acute phase and for thirty years it was the all-absorb- 
ing political theme. It was during these eventful years 
that American statesmanship in the opinion of many 
historians reached its zenith. The young Southerners, 
nursed and pampered in the lap of ease and luxury, 
had ample time in which to study politics, oratory, and 
government. They were sent North and even to Europe 
to complete their education. Thus equipped they were 
able to meet any antagonist on the hustings. The 
North, with its splendid schools and colleges, furnished 
a group of statesmen of matchless worth, courage, and 
ability. It was at this period of our history that the 
great forensic battles of intellectual giants were waged. 
The 3'oung orators and statesmen of today would ask 
no greater honor than to be permitted to break a lance 
in the arena of a great oratorical conflict w^iere such 
momentous questions are decided. 

The tariff and State rights questions were freely 
discussed and were closely allied with that of slavery. 
The North and the South naturally took opposite sides 
of each of these questions. The great Webster-Haynes 
debate occurred in the United States Senate, in 1830, 
and South Carolina soon after passed the Nullification 
Act. Fortunately for the nation Andrew Jackson, a 
fearless statesman and firm believer in the sacredness 
of the T^nion, was president at that time, and the way- 
ward state was forced to retrace her steps, and the 
crisis for the time being was past. 

Slave labor demanded more and more new territory. 
The Mexican war was forced upon the country at the 
behest of the slave oligarchy to satisfy this ever in- 
r-reasing demand. It forced the repeal of the Missouri 



390 Moccasin Tracks 

compromise in 1854, which plunged Kansas into a civil 
war and gave her a baptism of blood. The Supreme 
Court, tlie highest tribunal in the United States, sus- 
tained this repeal in the Dred Scott case in 1857. The 
great compromise of 1850 was thought by many states- 
men to forever settle the question of slavery. This be- 
lief soon proved a delusion and a snare. They soon 
learned that one could not compromise with evil. The 
crucial question, the extension of slavery into the terri- 
tories, soon overshadowed every other issue. Many per- 
sons living in the North had no desire to interfere with 
slavery where it already legally existed, but tiiey were 
unwilling to see it extended, while the slave owners 
claimed a Constitutional right to their property in 
slaves as essential if they were to have any share in the 
commc'i territories. The Fugitive Slave law of 1850, 
and the unwillingness of the Northern people to exe- 
cute it, assisted in precipitating the conflict. In the 
meantime the presidential election of 1860 approached. 
The great and often victorious Democratic party split 
asunder and slavery Avas the wedge. The Northern 
wing nominated Stephen A. Douglas, the Little Giant 
of Illinois, and declared that the voters of a territory 
should decide for or against slavery. The Southern 
wing nominated John C. Breckenridge, a dashing cav- 
alier, of Kentucky, and declared the right of slave own- 
ers to take their slaves into the new territories. John 
Bell, ail old line Whig of Tennessee, was nominated 
by the Constitutional Union party on a platform declar- 
ing for the Union, the Constitution, and the enforce- 
ment of the law. The Eepublican party, formed at 



AND Other Imprints. 291 

Jackson, Michigan, in 1854:, met in its second national 
convention at Chicago and wisely passing by all the 
old politicians nominated Abraham Lincoln, of Illinois, 
a lawyer by profession, but comparatively unknown to 
a very large majority of the voters. The platform de- 
clared against the extension of slavery into new terri- 
tory, but made no declaration against it where it al- 
ready legally existed. 

This was the most exciting presidential election in 
the history of American politics, as well as the most 
sectional in its characteristics and in its results. Dur- 
ing the campaign several of the Southern states de- 
clared their intention of seceding from the Union if 
Lincoln was elected. But little attention was paid to 
these threats, however, as they had often been heard on 
previous occasions. George Washington had foreseen 
the danger of sectionalism and had given warning in 
his farewell address to the people of the United States. 
The whole world knows the result — -Lincoln's election 
and the secession of South Carolina, December 20, 
1860, soon to be followed by Mississippi, Florida, Ala- 
bama, Georgia, Louisana and Texas. 0, for a Jackson 
instead of Buchanan as President of the United States ! 
N^othing was done by the president to check the South 
in its mad career. Buchanan hid behind the pitiful sub- 
terfuge that the National government had not the 
power to coerce a state. At the close of President Buch- 
anan's administration the flag of the United States 
was flying at only three points in the seven seceded 
States. The United States army still held Fort Sumter 
at Charleston, South Carolina. Fort Pickens at Pen- 



292 Moccasin Tracks 

saeola, Florida, and Key West, the Southern extremity 
of that State. Every other fort, arsenal, dockyard, 
mint, custom house, and court house had been seized by 
the dis-unionists and turned to hostile use. By these 
means they obtained artillery, small arms, ammunition, 
and supplies o:^ war for immediate use. They obtained 
five hundred thousand dollars in specie at the New 
Orleans mint. The government of the United States 
was not in anyway prepared for hostilities. The army 
consisted of but twelve thousand available troops, and 
the navy was so small that it did not amount to one 
large squadron, and its most effective ships were at 
points remote from the scene of conflict. 

The financial aifairs of the government were even in 
a more deplorable condition. The credit of the Ignited 
States that had been of the very best standing in the 
past had been almost entirely destroyed. In the closing 
weeks of Buchanan's administration the Secretary of 
the Treasury was forced to borrow money at the ruin- 
ous rate of 12% per annum to pay the running ex- 
penses of the government. In view of these facts it is 
little wonder thai the clis-unionists laughed to scorn any 
attempt on the part of the United States government 
to arrest their progress, much less to subdue them and 
force their return to the Union. 

Palliation, conciliation, concession and compromise 
were often heard and the almost inianimous opinion in 
the South, shared largely by the North, was that to 
precipitate war would be to abandon the last vestige of 
hope for the restoration of the Union, and drive the 
other slave-holding States into the Confederacy which 



AND OiHER Imprints. 293 

had been formed with Jefferson Davis as its President. 

The Southern representatives for the most part re- 
signed and on their return home declared that they had 
left the Union a corpse lying in state in the National 
capitol. This rash boast had an element of truth in it, 
yet the corpsfe was a very lively one as subsequent 
events amply proved. 

The fourth of March drew near. "What will Lincoln 
do when he becomes President?" was the all-absorbing 
question in both the North and the South. There was 
an element of uncertainty in regard to his actions, be- 
cause he had been mysteriously silent on all public 
questions since his election in November. Who was 
this Abraham Lincoln that was to guide the Nation 
through the great crisis? Born in the State of Ken- 
tucky under the most adverse circumstances his coming 
into the world gave little promise of either usefulness 
'or greatness. His parents were extremely poor, and 
were of that class known as "poor white trash" tO' the 
slave-holding aristocracy of the South. He was taken 
to Indiana early in life and later to Illinois by his 
parents. He had no educational advantages except 
those which he made for himself. But he had what 
was better — good natural ability, and a determination 
to win success. By sheer force of character he climbed 
the treacherous ladder of success to its topmost round. 
He was known among his friends as "Honest Abe ;" he 
was a lawyer without spot or blemish; a friend to 
whom one could confide the innermost secrets of the 
heart without the least fear of betrayal; a man whose 
name was not enrolled in any church book, yet he 



294 Moccasin Tracks 

recognized the workings of a Supreme Being in all 
human affairs; he was a Moses especially prepared and 
endowed by Grod himself to be the leader in crushing 
the most formidable rebellion in universal history, and 
to strike the shackles from four million human beings 
held in bondage more galling than that of the Israelites 
in Egypt; he was a true type, and exemplar of his 
race, his country, and his government; forcible in 
speech and faultless in logic, he enriched the language 
with new thoughts, new definitions, new maxims, new 
parables, and new proverbs. In the language of the im- 
mortal Shakespeare, 

"His life was gentle, and the elements 

So mixed in him that Nature might stand up 

And say to all the world, ^This was a Man.' " 

Such a man left his humble home in the State of Il- 
linois on one of the darkest days in the darkest period 
of United States history for Washington to become the 
chief executive oi a divided and a disorganized Eepub- 
lic. The speeches made on this ever-to-be remembered 
journey contain no declaration of policy or purpose 
touching the impending troubles. He had the practical 
faculty of discerning -the chief point to be reached, and 
then bending every energ}- to reach it. He saw that 
the one thing needful was his regular, constitutional 
inauguration as President of the United States. Poli- 
cies, both general and in detail, would come after that. 
'T/et us do one thing at a time, and the big things 
first,^' was his homely, but expressive, way of vindicat- 
ing the wisdom of his policy. 



AND Other Imprints. 295 

The president-elect reached Washington jn the night 
time. He had been advised by friends that it would be 
unsafe for him to go through Baltimore on schedule 
time. So a secret journey was planned and carried into 
effect. This was always a matter of deep regret to Lin- 
coln. Threats that he should never be inaugurated 
were numerous, and Joseph Holt, Secretary of War, 
took every precaution to insure safety by marshaling 
troops in and around Washington. Nothing out of the 
ordinary occurred on inauguration day. The North, 
that had been in a fever of excitement, now breathed 
freer, since the President was safely inaugurated and 
was living in the executive mansion. 

The inaugural address was calm but firm. It re- 
moved all unfavorable impression existing in the North 
relating to Lincoln's position on secession and slavery. 
He said that his election did not endanger the institu- 
tion of slavery in states where it already existed and 
admitted that under the Constitution fugitive slaves 
could be returned to their masters. He did not define 
his position on the extension of slavery into new terri- 
tory. He earnestly and most tenderly pleaded with 
those who would dissolve the Union. He said, "In your 
hands, my dissatisfied fellow countrymen, and not in 
mine, is the momentous issue of civil war. The gov- 
ernment will not assail you. You can have no conflict 
without yourselves being the aggressors. You can have 
no oath registered in heaven to destroy the government 
wihile T shall have the most solemn one to preserve, pro- 
tect and defend it. I am loth to close. We are not 
enemies, but friends. Though passions may have 



296 Moccasin Tracks 

strained, it must not break, our bonds of affection." 

These noble words brought a feelirig of hopefulness 
to the North, but it failed to strike a responsive chord 
in the South. It left the people of the South the alter- 
native of war or of receding from their stand for seces- 
sion. In his selection of his cabinet Lincoln showed 
a magnimity unsurpassed in the history of American 
politics. He made Seward, his chief competitor for the 
presidential nomination. Secretary of State. Two oth- 
ers of his rivals at Chicago were given cabinet posi- 
tions. These were Chase and Cameron, who were to 
preside over the Treasury and War Departments re- 
spectively. In this way the party factions were united 
but he was censured for his actions by many party 
friends. 

One of the first things to which Lincoln directed his 
attention was to prevent the border slave states from 
joining the already seceded states. By prompt action 
Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland and Delaware were kept 
within the Union. Upon the secession of Virginia, the 
western part of that commonwealth was erected into 
the sovereign state of West Virginia. This was the 
only geographical change in the gigantic struggle of 
four years duration. 

By the middle of April, 1861, the people of the 
South were very much dissatisfied with the fact that 
Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States of 
America, was doing nothing to protect and consolidate 
the Confederacy. This do-nothing policy was for the 
purpose of provoking Lincoln into some hostile act. In 
this way the North would appear before the world as 



AND Other Imprints. 297 

the aggressors in bringing on the war. A prominent 
member of the Alabama legislature told Davis that if 
he did not sprinkle blood in the face of the Southern 
people they would shortly be back into the Union. 

Strenuous efforts were made by both sides to control 
Virginia. "Strike a blow/' said Eoger A. Pryor, "and 
Virginia will secede from the Union." The blow was 
struck. The flag of the United States was fired upon 
at Sumter and the mine was exploded that drenched 
the country with blood. What a spectacle for poets 
and painters ! A gray haired man of seventy years, 
standing with lighted match in his hand ready to touch 
the fuse at the word of command. 

This hostile act consolidated public sentiment in the 
North. The same paper that carried the news of the 
fall of Sumter contained the call of the President for 
seventy-five thousand volunteers. 

An outburst of patriotic fervor greeted Lincoln's 
call for soldiers to regain the property of the United 
States seized by the Confederates. Enthusiastic public 
meetings were immediately held in all the free states 
from Maine to California. "Down with Secession" 
was the slogan, or rallying cry, in village and city as 
well as rural communities. Farmers left the team 
standing in the field and hastened away to enlist. Law- 
yers threw aside their briefs. They enrolled as soldiers 
and their clients did likewise. Teachers and students 
cast aside their books and hastened away. In the his- 
tory of popular uprising no parallel can be found in all 
the world. The same enthusiasm met Davis's call for 
troops in the South. Men and boys vied with each 
other in enthusiastic enlistment. 



298 Moccasin Tracks 

No braver men ever enlisted under any banner than 
these citizen soldiers proved themselves to be on many 
a hard fought battle field. They freely and unflinch- 
ingly yielded up their lives for the flag under wfhich 
they fought. They were all, all Americans and the 
same indomitable courage was manifested on both sides. 

The boys in Blue as well as the Gray showed that 
they were fitting descendants of the old Eevolution 
stock. Heroic deeds of valor were performed by the 
soldiers of both Grant and Lee. Thousands of these filled 
unmarked graves on the battle fields of both the North 
and the South. 

After four years of warfare the South surrendered; 
the country was again united; the slaves were freed; 
the right of secession was extinguished; a better un- 
derstanding and a better appreciation of each other ex- 
ists between the two sections. 

The Civil War cost an enormous sum of money, and 
the sacrifice of many lives, but it was a great uplift to 
the Nation. Such a great sacrifice of life sobered and 
chastened the people. 

The South after a few years made rapid strides in 
education and wealth. A new South, phoenix like, 
sprang from the ashes of the old. 

Lincoln, by his devotion to the Union, and by his 
tender, pathetic solicitude for the soldiers and their 
sorrowing friends, endeared himself to the people. In 
soberly guiding the Nation through the stormy seas of 
treachery and rebellion he immortalized his name. 
When the Ship of State proudly rounded the rocks and 
shoals into the harbor of safety, the brave Captain lay 
dead upon the deck. 



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